Vindicated
by Salemsoriginal99
Summary: Sequel to Falling to Pieces. Hermione is still out of control. But when someone unexpected comes to help her, will she be able to accept going back to reality or will her shame drive her away?
1. Fallen to Pieces

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

_Once upon a time there was a girl. She wasn't just any girl though. She was smart and beautiful. She had great friends and a wonderful childhood. But when she turned eleven that all changed. She became friends with two boys named Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. These friends were very special to her and soon, they all came to defeat the Dark Lord._

_But that isn't the story I'm going to tell you about. The story I am about to tell you is much darker than any evil. _

_It began so innocent. The girl falls for the guy and they love each other passionately. Though, like normal couples, they do have their moments, they are very much in love. But, like in most stories, there is an evil man who wants the girl for himself and will do anything to get her._

_He got her._

_With threats of death to her parents, she did the easy thing. Tested four times, she passed them all with flying colors, pushing away the man she loved and the friends she had and becoming the mistress of a Prince's pawn._

_Through a misleading promise, the Prince betrayed his pawn and took the girl for himself. He threatened her and soon used her weakness. He used her mother to summon a being so powerful it was said to be the End of the World. The plan didn't work and through careful planning, Harry and Ron managed to save their friend._

_But it wasn't enough. _

_Like I said before, this story is much darker than any evil. The girl could not be saved by any man. For what had loved her for so long had destroyed everything._

_Madness had been unleashed. A fight between the emotions in which only God could intervene._

_The girl's world had fallen apart…_

_The story I'm going to tell you is of a girl whose world had fallen to pieces…_


	2. Fights

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Only this plot.**

"Where're Ron and Harry?" Fred asked, coming into the Weasley kitchen that afternoon with George. Ginny didn't bother looking up from the paper she was reading.

"Harry's upstairs and Ron is outside flying around somewhere. Where else?" She answered. "It's kind of scary how quiet the house has been. They haven't spoken since we visited Mungos." George sat down at the table and glanced over at the papers.

"What are you reading?" he asked. She finally looked up.

"Hermione's medical papers," she responded. George straightened up and Fred sat down.

"What? Where did you get them?" he demanded.

"The hospital sent them over with mum…" she whispered, her eyes traveling over everything.

"What does it say?" Fred asked. Ginny sighed.

"Hermione's emotions are basically at war," she whispered. "It says that the Healers have so far been able to locate six separate emotions that have surfaced."

"You mean there's more?"

Ginny looked up with a pained expression. "George… there could be many more…"

* * *

Molly and Arthur watched Hermione through the window. The poor girl was sitting cross-legged on the floor, muttering to herself. She had been docile for at least four hours. Her last episode had resulted in an evacuation of the first and second floors as well as the basement because a putrid odor had seeped under Hermione's door, peeling the paint off the wall. Her bitter cries could be here throughout the hospital. That episode had sparked a chain reaction in the other safety room, causing one man to start screaming hysterically and then the room around him exploded. No one was hurt.

After a five minutes however, the smell stopped and Hermione went back to her unassuming state, murmuring incoherently. The Healer had told them that, though the episodes could be dangerous, they only lasted a few minutes and then the patient would reverse back to an inanimate status in which their brain activity would fluctuate depending on the emotions.

"They don't deserve this… Harry and Ron… Hermione… They don't deserve any of this…" Molly whispered.

"Hermione took the easy way out, there's nothing we can do about that," Arthur responded. Molly was surprised by the bitterness in his voice.

"Hermione tried to protect her family… she tried to protect Harry and Ron… I think she deserves more credit than that," she whispered. "Granted, she could have done something sooner, but at least she _did_ finally do something… She's got more strength than most people give her acknowledgment for… If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were taking sides with those damned reporters…"

Arthur glanced over at his wife before focusing his attention on Hermione. "I never meant it that way… I was just thinking about Ron… He hasn't talked at all since he got back from Hogwarts. Now that summer's here… I don't know what to do anymore… I'm tired," he whispered. Molly watched him for a while then sat down in one of the small hallway chairs.

"We're all tired…"

Suddenly the red alarm light in the hallway started flashing. One Head Healer went rushing by, heading for one of the rooms to the far right. He looked through the window then turned down the hall.

"Not again," the Healer whispered, taking out his wand and tapping the door. When it opened a horrifying screech escaped, but was stifled once more when the door slammed shut. Molly watched the steel door with deep concern.

"Poor thing…"

* * *

"_So…"_

"_So?" Hermione repeated, watching Ron as they walked hand in hand towards the lake. He looked up and smiled._

"_Moon's out," he said casually. Hermione rolled her eyes and gave him a shove._

"_If you start talking about the weather then I'm going inside," she threatened playfully. Ron shot her his famous lopsided grin and continued to walk. He occasionally glanced down at her, observing the way the corner of her lips twitched as she struggled not to smile. As they neared the lake, he let her walk a little farther ahead before pulling her back and placing his hands on her hips. Smiling, she wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest. She started giggling._

"_What?" he asked. She looked up at him._

"_It's strange… just two months ago we were at each others necks and now…"_

"_We're snogging each other senseless in random broom closets," he finished with a cheeky smirk. _

"_Those weren't my exact words, but sure," she replied. _

"_You want to know a great place to snog?"_

"_Where?"_

"_Room of Requirements," he whispered, waggling his eyebrows suggestively._

"_Ron!" Hermione scolded. "You know why I don't want to go to the Room of Requirements. We'd get too caught up in something then one thing will lead to another then the next thing you know, we're waking up and our clothes are missing," she reminded him. He couldn't help but grin._

"_I wouldn't mind," he said._

"_Ronald Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, appalled. Ron rolled his eyes._

"_Oh come on Hermione. I'm a guy. I can't get any but I can still imagine can't I?" he grumbled watching as she stepped over to the water edge. She turned to him, eyebrow raised._

"_I don't know… depends on what you're imagining," she replied. Ron grinned and pulled her over to him and hugged her. They swayed together, Hermione smiling as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. Tired, they lay down on the grass. Hermione rolled over on her side, away from Ron, who wrapped an arm over her side, pulling her back closer to his chest. As Ron's eyes began to droop he pulled her close._

"_I love you Hermione," he mumbled. Hermione's eyes shot open and she instantly turned over, disturbing Ron from his soon to be dreams. She looked down at him._

"_What did you say?" she asked intensely. Half asleep, Ron groaned._

"_What?" he asked. She poked him._

"_What did you say?" she repeated. Ron shrugged._

"_I don't know, Hermione. What did I say?" he asked irritably. Hermione just persisted._

"_I'm serious, Ron. What did you just say?"_

_Ron sat up, annoyed. "Look Hermione. I said a lot of things. If you're going to get all persistent about this then I can just go inside…" Hermione's lips stopped him. She pressed herself close to him, opening her mouth slightly brushing her tongue against his before pulling away. She gave him a small peck on the cheek before lying back down and rolling over like she was before._

"_I love you too," she said over her shoulder. Ron watched her for a moment then lay back down, pulling her back to him. He lay there for a while, listening until Hermione's breathing became even and slow. He propped himself up and looked down at her. She looked absolutely beautiful with her creamy skin highlighted in the pale moonlight. She had some freckles scattered across her nose. He leaned in and kissed it._

"_I love you, Hermione Jane Granger…"_

Ron shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory that bombarded his mind. His heart pounded just like the rain that hit him in blasts as the darkening sky rumbled with distant thunder. The wind was picking up as Ron continued to fly. He knew he was close to the house, but by now, it was to dark to see anything and the rain wasn't helping any. Of course, he had left his wand at home; sneaking out of the house so early he had forgotten it. He could still see Hermione's face even as the storm grew stronger, knocking his broom about. But he took no notice to it. He didn't care if he was struck by lightening. It would be better than dealing with the pain his heart was causing him.

The cracking of lightening and the roar of the thunder quickly filled his ears as a tree down below was struck. Soaking wet and freezing, Ron continued to fly. He wasn't heading home just yet. He didn't want to face the pitying glances and the empty reassurances that was his family. He knew they meant well, but he didn't need more reminders of what he had lost. Harry was one to many already.

_WHAM!_

"Bloody hell!" Ron swore, crashing into some tree that had come out of nowhere. Falling of his broom, he fell, hitting branches as he dropped to the ground. Slamming his fist down in the mud, he struggled to his feet. Looking around angrily, he spotted his broom. Lunging for it, he picked it up and slammed it full force at the tree he had smashed into. The broom took the hit twice then split in half. Giving out a cry of agony, Ron picked up the pieces and threw them into the darkness of the woods. He fell to his knees, his breathing labored and his body shaking from the rain. He closed his eyes.

"I can't do this…"

* * *

"Harry," Ginny whispered. No one answered. She knocked again.

"Harry please…" she whispered. She heard some movement then there was more silence. Ginny sighed. "Harry, you can't keep hiding in there… please let me in…" When he didn't answer, Ginny bit her lip. She _was _seventeen. Taking out her wand, she pointed it at the door.

"Alohamora," she murmured. The lock clicked and she pushed open the door. "Oh no…"

The room was a mess and it looked to be a joint effort. So this had been the noise they had all heard when Harry and Ron had come home from Hogwarts. They had all been sitting at dinner when several thumps and crashes could be heard from upstairs. At first, they thought Harry and Ron had gotten into a fight, but when the two had come down the stairs together, they were completely confused.

The sheets were ripped and one of the chairs was completely destroyed. Books lay all over the ground, pages ripped out. The pages that were ripped out had been stuck to the wall and seemed to be highlighted. Upon closer inspection, Ginny came to realize that they were pages from books Hermione used to quote. The quotations highlighted in red. Ginny hoped it wasn't blood. There were pictures collaged on one of the walls, ripped and wrinkled. To Ginny's surprise, when she took a step closer, they were fixed in a way that when looked from a distance it would show the likeness of a girl…

"Hermione…" Ginny gasped.

"Ron finished it yesterday."

Ginny whirled around to see Harry standing in the corner, his eyes on the ground.

"Oh Harry," Ginny sighed. She took a step closer but he held up his hand.

"Don't," he whispered, pointing to something on the floor. Ginny looked down and her eyes widened.

"Crookshanks," she whispered. Everyone had been trying to find the cat ever since Harry and Ron had come back from Hogwarts. It seems the thing had been spending time lounging around in Ron's room.

Harry finally left the confines of the corner and brushed past Ginny, heading over to the bed. Ginny looked around.

"You did this," she said.

Harry chuckled. It wasn't pleasant. "What did you expect to see when you came in here?" he asked coldly.

She bit her lip and whispered, "I don't know what I was expecting…"

Harry shook his head and glanced over at her. She seemed out of place with all the destruction they had done.

"Mum and Dad just got back from visiting Hermione," she commented.

"You don't visit someone like that," he responded.

"You make it sound like she's dead," Ginny whispered.

"And it'd be my entire fault," he whispered back. Ginny crossed over to him.

"This isn't your fault Harry. You didn't force Hermione to do anything," she said.

"It is my fault. I could have stopped it. I was the one Malfoy wanted, not her!" he retorted.

"That's not the point, Harry."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL IS!" He yelled, rounding on her. "I could have protected her! Now she's stuck in that room and Ron's out there killing himself. I killed Malfoy's father and that's the reason he went after Hermione. Not because of what she did or because of what Ron did. It's my fault!"

"Harry-"

"Don't 'Harry' me," he growled, pulling away from her hand. "It should be me in that room, not her!"

Ginny shook her head. "Harry no…"

"Get out…" he whispered.

"Harry," she begged.

"Get out," he gritted.

"Harry please," she reached out and touched his shoulder. He grabbed her wrist and shoved her to the door.

"I SAID GET OUT!" he screamed, slamming the door in her face. Ginny fell to the ground, holding her wrist to her in pain. Bill and Molly came running up the stairs, followed by Fleur and Charlie. Molly glanced over to the door.

"What happened?" Molly asked. Ginny looked down at her wrist and closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. They all jumped when they heard a crash from the other side of the door. Ginny bit her lip.

"He blames himself…"

* * *

Confidence and Alarm – That was a complete waste of time.

Aggression – If I wanted your opinion I'd ask for it.

Confidence and Alarm – Well, you're the one who ruined the wall. I'm just glad you're not Rage.

Fear – Don't mention him! He might come.

Bitterness – Then we'd just have a party won't we?

Euphoria – Let's do something fun. Come on. It'll get our minds off of everything!

Aggression – Shut up! You're so annoying.

Bitterness – So are you.

Aggression – What did you say to me?

Bitterness – I believe I just said you were annoying. What about it?

Aggression – Say it again, I tell you where to go and how to get there.

Bitterness – Up yours.

Confidence and Alarm – Now that's not very nice.

Aggression – Stay out of this.

Bitterness – Yeah, I don't think Aggression wants to get shown up by C & A.

Aggression – Say it. Just say it one more time.

Bitterness – You're a prick.

Suddenly Hermione's body began to convulse as Bitterness and Aggression began to fight for control. The red alarm started to go off again as Hermione's body continued to shake violently. Healers went over to the monitors outside the door and one of them gasped.

"Look at this," he whispered pointing.

"What is it?" one asked. The Head looked up and pointed at Hermione.

"Two emotions are fighting for control… but there's another one coming."

"Another one?"

The Head nodded.

"It's one of the Trinity…"

* * *

"Ron! There you are!" Molly exclaimed as Ron came in two hours after his crash. Outside, the thunder and lightening still boomed and cracked, the rain pounding into the roof as the wind howled. Ron was soaked to the bone. There was a large bump on the side of his head and it was bleeding. He was holding pieces of what used to be a broom.

"What happened?" Bill asked shocked as Molly tried to get a better look. Ron just shot them all a look that clearly said 'if you ask I'll kill you'. Molly frowned.

"At least let me look at it honey," she whispered pleadingly, wanting him to at least answer her. Instead he just looked at her through icy blue eyes before heading upstairs. It didn't take long before there was a crash. Expecting to hear silence, the group was surprised to hear screaming. It was coming from both boys and they weren't holding back. They were yelling at each other, swearing and accusing. At first, Ron seemed to be building momentum, but when Harry yelled something, silence reigned. There was some more movement, and then a door opened and slammed shut. Both boys reappeared at the bottom of the stairs, carrying Ron's broken broom. Harry's cheeks were flamed and Ron's whole face was red from screaming. Arthur stood.

"Ron… Harry-"

"Arthur Weasley."

Everyone turned to see a man standing at the kitchen door. Arthur frowned.

"Healer Fanning." Hermione's Healer.

The man bit his lip. "We have a problem."

* * *

"Well, you see. Two of Hermione's emotions, Bitterness and Aggression got into a fight. Well that fight seemed to have called upon another emotion."

"And?"

Fanning looked up at them. "It has been said that man has three natural emotions. Rage, lust and triumph. We call them the Trinity. When mixed in with other emotions and under control by Hermione's conscience they can't do much harm, but at this time, with Hermione's emotional state unpredictable, those three emotions can be dangerous."

"Why?" Molly asked. Fanning sighed.

"Rage is a given. With everything Hermione's been through, she's going to have a lot of pent up rage. This will probably be the most dangerous of the three. Triumph will probably be the weakest since Hermione's state has nothing to do with any victories."

"What about lust?" Fred asked hesitantly. Here, Fanning glanced over at Ron.

"That is the one Hermione will have the hardest time controlling. Lust varies. It could at one moment be a blood lust and then the next instant be a pleasure need. But there is something you must all understand. From this point on, Hermione has no recollection of who you are."

"You mean she doesn't remember us?!" Ginny shrieked. Fanning held up his hands.

"No… I meant she has no recollection of who you are in terms of family, friends and," he looked over at Ron. "Love… Lust is a dangerous thing and it is completely physical. Her relationships, if she ever wakes up, will be completely altered if she is not capable of controlling these emotions…"

**A/N: There you go. I liked this chapter. It was interesting to write.**

**sballLuvr5:** I think you're going to like this story.

**charma10:** I wouldn't say tortured. I'd say 'recover'. Yeah, that's it. You'd like to see how they'd recover... if that's what you want to call it. ;-)

**GTKari-123:** Well, I thougt is was about bloody time as well!

**Hermione-and-Ron-forever-to...:** Yes, well all we can do is hope.

**Wesker888:** Thanx for everything!


	3. Visitor in the Night

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter, yada yada yada, not mine... whatever.**

St. Mungos was quiet that night. Aside from the occasion stirring from the children's section, no one had anything to do. The safety rooms had been secured for the night and the occupants had been given potions that let them have some control for a few hours. It lessened the risk of outbreaks during the night and allowed the occupants time to gather their thought before their emotional state went haywire again. The reason the Healers didn't use it so that visitors could talk to the patients is because the potions weren't that stable when a patient is put in a certain situation. Feelings could cause the emotions to break free and gain control, making it incredibly dangerous for visitors.

Hermione was lying on her back, gazing up at the white wall. Her mind was constantly wandering back to years when things were simple. When youth was a gift and innocence came with no price. She remembered her first train ride… her first dinner at Hogwarts. Her first _real_ friends…

Rolling over on her side, she wiped the tears away. All that was gone… Innocence… youth… it was all gone because she was stupid enough to believe that hanging on was the only way she could save the ones she loved. Closing her eyes she sighed.

"But that wasn't true…"

"No it wasn't."

She rolled over on her other side and examined the hooded figure near the door. She glanced over to the door then back at the figure.

"Visitors aren't allowed in here," she whispered. The body chuckled.

"Of course not. But I figured you could use one."

"How did you get in?" Hermione asked, sitting up. The hooded body shrugged and stepped closer.

"That doesn't matter to you does it?" he whispered. Hermione frowned.

"How did you escape capture?"

"They didn't have anything on me… besides… I _did_ kill Malfoy."

Hermione nodded silently, scooting over and making room for him to sit down beside her. He pulled his hood off, looking around in disgust.

"Not much of a décor," he criticized. Hermione watched him for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He glanced over at her then shrugged.

"I've nothing better to do… besides, it looked like you could use some company."

Hermione shifted awkwardly. "I get visitors," she whispered. He rolled his eyes.

"What? The type that look in at you like some animal at those stupid muggle zoos?" he sneered. She glared at him.

"I'm not allowed to have them in… I'd do something horrible," she snapped.

"Like you're doing now?" he responded sarcastically.

"I'm on a potion," she retorted.

"That's completely unstable," he replied quickly.

"That's not the point," she said. He turned to her.

"That's exactly the point. I've been here for approximately…" he looked down at his watch. "Five minutes and you haven't attacked me at all. It's said that it takes thirty _seconds_ before a person on that potion attacks anyone other than a Healer. It seems I've broken a record," he muttered. Hermione observed him for a moment then looked away, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"What are you really here for, Blaise?" she asked. He reached into his cloak pocket and pulled something out. It was a green vial with liquid swishing around in it. Blaise handed it to her. She held it up to her eyes, squinting to read it in the dark.

"What is it?" she asked. He stood up.

"Let's just say it will speed up the process," he whispered.

"You mean the emotions?"

He turned to her.

"I'll be back in a few days to give you more. That's only good for the rage," he said. Hermione frowned.

"What does it do?" she asked. He raised the hood over his head, covering his face.

"It decreases the damage that the emotions do when they gain control. Especially with the Trinity emotions. You have to be careful now. Take a few sips every night. It'll hold you over until I come again," he said. Hermione frowned and looked down at the vial in her hand. When she looked up Blaise Zabini was gone.

* * *

"Harry! Ron! Wake up! Someone broke into St. Mungos' basement last night! Wake up!" Charlie yelled through the locked door. Instantly the door was opened and Harry and Ron appeared, dressed. Soon the Weasleys found themselves back at the hospital, being led down the stairs to the safety rooms. They were surprised to see Dumbledore and Moody standing there, conversing quietly between them. Dumbledore waved and the two headed over to the family. 

"Good morning," he greeted. Fred snorted.

"More like good night," he mumbled. "It's two thirty in the morning. Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head where Bill had smacked him. Dumbledore coughed.

"Well, the reason we're here is because someone came down here last night and entered at least four of these rooms."

"A Healer?" Molly asked. Moody shook his head.

"Nope. A Death Eater from the looks of it. Just slipped in and slipped out undetected. Of course we found one Healer knocked out in one of the broom closets, but other than that, it was a clean job," he explained.

"And you think he entered Hermione's room?" Harry asked. Everyone glanced over at him. It was the first time most of them had heard him speak for a long time.

Moody nodded. "We know he entered her room. Her room and three other rooms were entered."

"Hermione's being interrogated as we speak," Dumbledore said, pointing to the window. Sure enough, Hermione was sitting there on the small bed, listening to two Healers. She kept on shaking her head until finally the Healers stood and left the room. Ron walked over to the window and touched it, his eyes following Hermione's movements.

"She doesn't know who entered. She says she was asleep," Healer Fanning, the one in charge of Hermione, said.

"Why would someone come down here anyway?" George asked. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and pointed down the hall to the many other rooms.

"Mr. Weasley, look around. There are at least twenty occupants down here with emotional instability. The only thing protecting us from being destroyed is those rooms and the Healers that help the occupants. There are plenty of people, Death Eaters more likely, who would be more than happy to get their hands on a few of these unfortunates. You think the damage is bad now. You take one of these poor people to Kings Cross and provoke them, Kings cross and the surrounding buildings will cease to exist. There are many people who would want to come down here," he said. George looked over at Hermione's window and pointed.

"Hey look," he whispered. They all turned to see Hermione standing at the window, looking through it.

"Can she see us?" Ginny asked. Fanning shook his head.

"It's just another wall to her, though she does know that we can see her through that wall so she probably knows we're here," he answered. Sure enough, Hermione leaned in and breathed. She raised her finger and wrote something on the fogged wall.

"Ron?" Molly said, reading the letters. After a moment Hermione touched the window. Ron touched the window as well, watching Hermione carefully. She held her hand there for a moment before she backed up until she hit the opposite wall. She stayed there for a moment then she grabbed her head and began to scream. She fell to her knees and continued until she suddenly stopped. She looked up and rushed the wall, slamming into it at full force. She backed up again and slammed into it again. She continued to do it until finally blood started to smear.

"What's she doing?" Ron demanded. Fanning went to the monitors and frowned. He motioned to the Healer near by and the woman entered the room cautiously. The Healer took out her wand and pointed it at Hermione who was still smashing herself into the wall. The Healer said something and Hermione stopped. Her face was bleeding and her arm was hanging limply. Then Hermione said something with a pained expression on her face. The Healer's eyes widened and she ran for the door, yanking it open and slamming it behind her. She came out just in time. The room began to flame up, Hermione's eyes growing red as the fire grew in intensity. Soon she couldn't be seen.

"What happened?" Mr. Weasley demanded. The Healer pointed.

"She told me to run…"

* * *

"Hey," Ginny whispered. Ron looked up at her before turning his gaze back to a muttering Hermione. 

"Hey," he whispered back.

"They said it wasn't as bad as it could have been. They said that the rage was much more subdued."

"If you want to call _that_ subdued," he retorted softly. Ginny frowned and remained silent. Ron looked over at her. "How are you and Harry?"

Ginny closed her eyes and looked away. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered. Ron nodded.

"Fair enough," he whispered. Ginny turned to him.

"You were going to marry her, weren't you?" she said. Ron got up.

"Now _I_ don't want to talk about it," he said, walking towards the stairs. Ginny got up and followed her.

"She would have said yes… she loved you a lot… she still does," she offered. Ron stopped and looked back at her.

"Now how would you know that?" he asked sarcastically. Ginny shrugged.

"Love is an emotion too… not a very frequent emotion but when it comes… it stays for a long time whether you like it or not… Hermione loved you. Just because her emotions are fighting each other now doesn't change that."

Ron observed her carefully before turning and leaving.

* * *

"_Ron…" Hermione whispered breathlessly before emitting a moan. Struggling to regain control, she gulped. "Ron, wait," she whispered again, closing her eyes in pleasure as his lips continued their onslaught on her neck. Groaning, Ron pulled away._

"_What?" he asked annoyed. Hermione shifted around under him and then smiled._

"_Your belt," she whispered before capturing his lips yet again. Smiling into her lips, Ron pulled her closer, running hands up and down her back, coaxing a moan from her._

"_Come on, I think it's in here!" _

_The dormitory door burst open and Harry, Seamus, Neville, Ginny, Dean, Lavender and Parvati came in, chatting. The stopped upon seeing Ron and Hermione on Ron's bed however. Hermione shoved Ron off, causing him to fall off the bed and hit the floor with a loud thud. Hermione searched frantically around for her shirt, in which Seamus picked up. It was right next to his bed. He smirked._

"_You two look comfortable," he remarked. Ron popped up and stormed over, snatching Hermione's shirt and handing it to her. Both their faces were beet red._

"_What are you guys doing in here?" Ron demanded, glaring at Harry. Harry shrunk back behind Neville, who then paled under Ron's fierce look. Dean stepped forward._

"_Well actually, Ron, we were about to head down to the kitchens and came up to ask if you wanted to come. We didn't know Hermione was up here," he added, smirking. It was quickly erased when Ron turned his gaze on Dean. Dean held up his hands and backed up slightly._

"_Not that there's anything wrong with that… we just weren't expecting her," he muttered. Hermione rolled her eyes, grabbed Ron's hand and pushed past everyone._

"_No we would not like to come with you. We're busy," she snapped over her shoulder. Ron looked back at the group and grinned._

"_The woman has spoken," he said. Harry grinned._

"_Hey, Hermione. What are you two going to do?" he asked. Hermione stopped and turned to Harry with a not so funny look in her eye. She let go of Ron's hand and slowly made her way over to Harry._

"_Ron's been in the hospital for two weeks. I've been stressed for five weeks. You just interrupted our snogging session. What do you think we're going to do?" she growled before spinning on her heel and marching out, Ron on her heels with a big smile. The couple headed down the stairs and out of the commons. As they walked, Ron looked down at Hermione and smiled. She looked up at him and frowned._

"_What?" she asked irritably. _

"_Nothing… you just look cute when you're mad," he responded. She blushed and looked down the hall. Smiling she opened one of the doors. That's when Ron realized where they were._

"_The Room of Requirements?" he said. She nodded, pulling over to the couch. She leaned in and began to leave small kisses down his jaw._

"_Hermione," he moaned as they hit the couch. She pulled him down on top of her, her lips meeting his in a quick exchange before he pulled away._

"_I don't want to do anything you don't want to," he whispered. She smiled up at him, brushing the hair out of his face. _

"_Then don't… I trust you…"_

**A/N: I'm glad you're liking this story.**

**GTK-123:** Depends on what you define as _normal_.

**connieewing:** You'll see. You've kind of jumped a little ahead.

**charma10:** I love the voices also. They keep me sane!

**NairobiDawn:** It's not very often I get people who have actually read the story through in one setting. I'm glad you liked it.

**Chapter Tease:**

_"Piss off, Ron," came Harry's quiet answer. Ron snorted._

_"Why? Because you had a tantrum again and took it out on my sister?"_


	4. Cruel Reality

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.**

**You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.** - Wayne Dyer

Hermione watched as the Healer handed her the small cup that held the potion. At first her emotions told her not to take it, but after much struggle, the Healer managed to shove the vile fluid down her throat. Gasping, Hermione could feel herself gaining control once more. The Healer left the room, turning off the lights as he left. Hermione held her throat as she sat down on the small bed and waited until her muscles relaxed. She closed her eyes, listening as the door was once again opened and closed quietly.

"Six months in here and you still look like crap."

She smiled. "I'd watch the comments if I were you. They installed an alarm system in here. I alert it and you're off to Azkaban."

"At least I'm not in hell," Blaise responded, walking over and sitting down. She turned to him.

"You're lucky that potion's working during the day or I'd kick your arse right now," she growled.

"How? You're so spent from your episodes that you can hardly do anything at night except sleep and think about Weasley. Unless of course you were thinking about _me_," he added with a smirk. Hermione closed her eyes and looked forward, reaching under the pillow and handing him the empty vial.

"I suggest you hurry up before I decide to start thinking about ways to kill you. Rage isn't exactly very particular," she whispered. Blaise took the vial and handed her a new one.

"I'm not worried about rage. I'm worried about what will happen when lust comes. You're biological clock is ticking. Will you be able to judge whether or not to set it on alarm?"

"You're a prick," she hissed. Blaise grabbed her face painfully in his hand.

"No. I'm helping you, so you better be thankful. I could be giving you something that would put everyone in this place out of their misery but I'm a nice guy," he growled.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, pulling away from him.

He observed her carefully before standing up, his facial expression suddenly passive. "I have my purposes," he whispered. He headed for the door when Hermione stopped him.

"Blaise…"

"What?" he snapped. She bit her lip then pulled him into a hug.

"I never thanked you for saving my life," she whispered. He pulled away.

"Weasley saved your life. I did what I had to do," he said.

"You were the only one who never hurt me," she said. He looked at her for a moment then shrugged.

"I suggest you take the potion," he whispered before turning away.

"Blaise…"

"What now, Granger?"

"How come when you come in here nothing happens, but if anyone else comes in I could kill them?" she asked.

Blaise glanced back at her. "Because… you have nothing on me. With the Weasleys, they're family. Potter's like your brother. Weasley's your _lover_… You still feel rage for everything that happened to you, but you have nothing on me. I'm just a stranger to your emotions." With that he turned and disappeared into the darkness. Hermione looked down at her hands.

"I need to control this…"

* * *

"I hear that you've been ignoring Ginny," Ron whispered into the darkness. There was a shift in the other bed, but Harry remained silent. Ron chuckled. "I also heard that you basically threw her out of the room." 

"Piss off, Ron," came Harry's quiet answer. Ron snorted.

"Why? Because you had a tantrum again and took it out on my sister?"

Harry sat up and looked over at Ron's bed. "If you're going to be a dick then fine, but stop getting into my business. I don't have to explain things to you," he growled.

Ron continued to lie on his back. "I'm not being a dick and I'm not trying to get you to explain anything. I just want you to know that if you lay one more hand on my sister like that again, I'll kill you."

It was a simple ultimatum yet carried a much deeper threat. Harry observed the red head for a moment then lay back down.

"Why are we fighting again?" he asked quietly. Ron chuckled.

"Because if we weren't we'd be in the corner crying," he replied plainly. Now it was Harry's turn to laugh.

"I guess you're right… and Ron."

"What?"

"I didn't mean to hurt Ginny… you know that right?"

"Yeah… I know."

**A/N: Halo! Wie geht's? Ich bin sehr gut, aber ich must jehts Englisch sprechen!**

**Hey. Sorry, just trying to use some German. Hope you like it.**

**Very concerned reader named Dani:** Well, if you know me well, you'd know that it'd have to be a helluva happy ending. Besides, it depends on what you define as happy ending... I was talking to someone and they said that a happy ending was defined as no one dying. If you know me, that's not possible, though I have been known to surprise people. You'll just have to wait and see. Please continue to review.

**Nessa Sue:** Thank you!

**sballLuvr5:** It seems like I'm getting that a lot.

**GTKari-123:** It's not the most stable of potions. I hope you had a great birthday!

**charma10:** You'll learn about what Blaise want's much later, if ever.

**SpiderQueenSkylar:** I love this story also!

**Mione-Girl.x:** I'm glad you like it so much.

**connieewing:** Yes, well, Hermione's not in the best of sorts.

**peachpaige:** I'm glad that this one isn't as dark. I don't want to start sucking peoples souls out.

**NairobiDawn:** Only time will tell...

**Chapter Tease:**

_Blaise couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips when Hermione ground her hips into his tantalizingly. His mind was growing fuzzy under the onslaught and he knew that if he didn't do something now, he'd be to far gone to do anything at all..._


	5. Freak Out

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Hers!**

**About the only time losing is more fun than winning is when you're fighting temptation. Tom Wilson  
**

Hermione's eyes stayed focused on the ground as Blaise sat down beside her.

"Can I ask you something?"

Blaise handed her another vial. "What?" he asked.

"Why did you kill Malfoy and why are you helping me?" she asked. The question had been bothering her ever since he had first entered her room. Though her thoughts were now starting to become clearer, her emotions on the other hand were becoming increasingly violent. Even Fear was doing things that scared her. She was losing her sight as well. At the moment the only colors she could really see was red and blue. At night though, she could see everything. Blaise remained quiet as she placed the vial under her pillow and handed him the empty one.

"It's not for you," he whispered. Hermione touched her face and closed her eyes.

"I want to go home," she said. Blaise snorted.

"You can't go home. Not until you've finished this vial. It'll get rid of all the symptoms except the blindness."

Hermione turned to look at him.

"You know about that?" she asked, extremely surprised. She knew he was using her for some darker purpose but he was her only hope of getting out of here. Gaining control again. She also knew that he was having her watched. One of the healers that came in here was constantly checking her eyes, even though the other healers couldn't understand why. She had not told anyone about it.

Blaise looked over at her. "Of course I do. Just like I know that you know that Gren the healer is working for me. Now, as for the blindness. The only color you're going to be able to see when there's light out is red. Everything else will be black until night falls or if you're in the dark. You'll be able to see everything," he explained. Hermione nodded, watching as he stood and began to leave.

"Why can't they detect you?" she asked.

"I'm untouchable," he whispered. Hermione stood up and walked over to him, taking his hand.

"Thank you," she whispered. He nodded and was about to leave when she yanked on his arm and pulled him to her. Their lips collided. Blaise tried to get away, but for some reason, Hermione kept him close, shoving him into a wall. He managed to pull his head away and look into her eyes.

"Granger?"

"_Hermione is indisposed right now. You're dealing with Lust,_" Hermione hissed. Her eyes were bright red and she had a nasty smile on her face. Blaise's eyes grew in terror as Hermione kissed him again harder, her hands pinning him. He tried to get to his wand but gasped in pain as her teeth dug into his lip making it bled. One of her hands reached into his cloak pocket and pulled out the wand, dropping it at their feet. Blaise's mind was racing. Her body was under extreme stress and now it was going into severe sexual overload.

_How could he have been so stupid? _

It was the poison he was giving her. Before the person got better they got extremely worse. The emotions were in frenzy and Lust seemed to be winning at the moment. But he knew it wouldn't last. He had to get out of here before Rage took control and Hermione ripped him to shreds.

Hermione pressed herself against him, their lips moving against each other aggressively. Every time he tried to move she'd dig her nails into his flesh painfully until he stopped. The only way he would get out of this alive was to go with it, but the problem was he'd be snogging a mudblood. Pretty, no doubt, but scum none the less. Hermione pulled away, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

"_I suggest you go with it before I kill you_," she whispered into his ear before licking his skin, tasting him. Her fingers found their way up to his chest and her nails dug into the cloth, ripping it and feeling his abs. Blaise couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips when she ground her hips into his tantalizingly. His mind was growing fuzzy under the onslaught and he knew that if he didn't do something now, he'd be to far gone to do anything at all. Hermione's lips were traveling up his neck, nipping at his skin when he dove for his wand, ignoring the ripping of his skin and the blood that pored out of the gash. Struggling to breathe, flesh hanging off of his throat, he felt his fingers curl around smooth wood. Hermione screamed in rage and turned on him, her eyes turning from red to complete black. She spit out his skin from her mouth, hissing as blood dripped from her face and fingers.

Blaise collapsed on the ground and turned around. "_Cosal Fergo!_" he screamed. Hermione screamed in agony and stumbled back. Blaise began to pull himself back into the wall, holding his wand with one hand while the other clutched his stomach as it bled. Suddenly an alarm sounded, screaming that an intruder was here. Hermione screamed at Blaise and lunged at Blaise.

"_Cosal Fergo!_" he yelled again, watching as Hermione shrieked in excruciating pain, falling to the ground. Blaise then turned to the door and flicked his wand at it before leaning his head back in agonizing pain. By now his blood pooled on the ground around him and he was starting to feel light headed.

"Blaise."

He looked over to Hermione body on the ground. She was looking down on the ground, her hands reaching out around her.

"I can't see," she whispered.

Blaise, in all his pain wanted to throttle her, but then that wouldn't serve his purpose. "You'll get your sight back by tomorrow night," he managed to say before wincing. Someone started banging on the door and voices could be heard on the other side of the wall. Fearfully, Hermione followed his voice, her hands trembling as they made contact with his foot. She pulled herself over next to him and began to feel around, her hand landing on his chest. She pulled away, fingering the sticky wetness.

"This is blood," she whispered, her voice wavering.

Blaise chuckled. "Really?" he said sarcastically. Hermione lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She started to cry, her shoulders shaking and her sobs filling the room.

"I can't do this… I need my parents," she cried.

Blaise rolled his eyes and turned on her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "Bloody hell, Granger! Your parents are dead," he growled. "You have to do this yourself. You don't have Weasley or Potter. You don't have those Gryffindors behind you. All you have is yourself and that vial under your pillow. Now if you can't do this then you might as well give up and die, but I wouldn't be here if I knew you couldn't survive that poison. So damn it, you better do this or I'll kill you myself," he threatened before falling back, gasping, eyes closed in excruciating pain. Hermione scooted next to him and took his arm, clinging to him.

"Promise me you'll help me through it," she whispered.

Blaise looked down at her, taking in her scared face and trembling bloody lips. Nine months ago she was the strongest woman he had ever seen and now, she was begging for his help. He couldn't help but smirk at her misfortune and his circumstance. If he said no, she'd probably go into a frenzy and finish him, but if he said yes, would he mean it?

_Of course you would_, whispered a voice in his head. _Because no matter how much you may deny it, you've grown attached to her._

**_I don't like her_,** hissed another voice.

_I never said that. I said you've grown attached to her as in you've started to see her as… a sister?_

Blaise shook the thought out of his head and looked down at her before looking up at the door which had blasted open. He watched lazily as two men stumbled in.

"I promise," he whispered.

* * *

Ron paced the room angrily with Harry, watching as Blaise Zabini was interrogated. He was in a small room with two other people while the Weasley family and Harry stood in a separate room, looking in. Moody was also there with Dumbledore. They had just started.

"What were you doing in there?" the woman asked.

Blaise just shrugged. "I got lost," he answered.

"This isn't a game. Hermione Granger is in a fragile state and any contact without St. Mungos permission could be damaging," the man growled.

"I personally think she's damaged enough. Betrayal. Sabotage. Rape. Pregnancy. The loss of both parents. I think that's damaging enough," Blaise said with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Everyone in the other room stared at Ron and Harry in horror. No one had been told about Hermione's pregnancy. Only Harry and Ron had been forced to carry that burden.

"Ron… is that true?" Charlie whispered. Ron had frozen at Blaise's words and hadn't turned around. Harry nodded for Ron, eyes on Blaise as well.

"What did you do to Hermione Granger?" the man asked.

Blaise just sat back in his chair. "Shouldn't I be the one doing the questioning? She did almost kill me," he pointed out. The woman glared at Blaise.

"Nothing would have happened if you hadn't been there," she said.

"She's quite the kisser," Blaise went on, not paying attention anymore. "See this," he said, pointing to his neck. There was still blood all over him. "She did that. Feisty little bint," he said. Ron suddenly started moving towards the door.

"I want to speak to the bastard," he growled.

"Ron!" Molly protested.

"I want to talk to him!" Ron yelled. "He's not telling them anything because he doesn't want to talk to adults. You give me five minutes with him and I'll get him talking," Ron said.

Molly shook her head. "It's not safe," she said.

"He doesn't have a wand," Ron protested.

"Not for you, for him. You'll probably kill him," she whispered.

Ginny stepped forward. "Mum… I'll go in with him… I'll make sure he doesn't do anything," she offered. Molly looked over at Arthur for support, but he shook his head. She looked over at Moody, who stepped forward and opened the door.

"Go on in, you two. Tell them Moody sent you," he growled. Ron offered him a thankful look before going off with Ginny. Soon, they could see him enter the room occupying Blaise. Ginny said something and the two adults nodded getting up and leaving.

"You're going to try and get an answer out of me?" Blaise asked. Ron sat down calmly across from him. Blaise, like everyone else, could see the barely suppressed urge in Ron's eyes to throttle the black boy. Ginny coughed and straightened in her seat.

"Look, all we want to know is what you were doing with Hermione. You're the one who's been going in there, aren't you?" she said.

Blaise looked her over then turned his attention to Ron. "I'll tell you a secret if you tell those asses on the other side not to listen. And I want Red over there to go," he said, motioning to Ginny. "You may have changed but I can still read Weaslette like a book," he said. Ginny was about to protest when Ron shot her a pleading look. She could see his desperation. That undying need to know everything about Hermione as he possibly could and it broke Ginny inside. She glanced over at Blaise before standing up and exiting the room. There was a moment's pause then Ron his fingers through his hair.

"How is she?" he asked quietly.

Blaise looked up at him then down at the table. "She's… she's weak," he answered. Ron met his gaze that was broken when Ginny entered again.

"No one's listening," she whispered.

Blaise didn't seem pleased. "Use a silencing charm on the room. I don't trust people like you," he ordered.

Ron took out his wand and flicked it towards the door and around the room. Blaise couldn't help but smirk. "Must have used that charm often during the better half of our seventh year," he commented. Ron rose slightly in his seat, his figure intimidating to see. Blaise glanced around then leaned forward in his chair.

"I've been giving Granger a poison," he whispered.

"You've been poisoning her!" Ginny shrieked.

Blaise shot her a glare. "No, I've been helping her you prat. For the next few days she's going to be extremely dangerous before she gets well enough to get out of this place. As you can see by my appearance, it's already happening," he said grimly, touching his neck gingerly.

"I don't believe you," Ron whispered.

"Of course you wouldn't. But Granger does and that's what matters," Blaise growled before sitting back.

Ron slammed his fist down on the table. "What have you done to her?" he demanded. But it was apparent that Blaise wasn't going to say anymore. The door opened and Moody entered with two Aurors. He motioned for Ginny and Ron to come out. Ron gave Blaise one last pleading look which went unnoticed then left the room, defeated, Ginny following after. Ron met Harry in the hall and sighed.

"He said he was poisoning her… _helping_ her…"

* * *

It was two weeks later when Hermione was finally released from the safety room. She was still allowed no visitors until she was completely healthy. The healers didn't trust her yet.

"What happened to Blaise?" Hermione asked as a healer was checking up on her. The healer looked up at her and frowned.

"That boy! He's still under trial. The public found out about the break-ins and want him in Azkaban but since he's not giving sufficient evidence, the defense, is appealing for the use of _Veritaserum_," the healer explained before leaving. Hermione could feel herself start to shake slightly. He had promised he'd be there to help her. He had promised.

_Why do you care?_

"Because… he's my only chance of getting my life back on track," she whispered to herself. Her heart ached at the thought of never being able to go back home again. At never being able to see her mother's smile and have her father's hugs again. She'd be going to live with the Weasley's until she was able to find a place for herself.

It had been her decision.

She didn't want to stay at the Burrow, no matter how much of home it was. She wanted to get away and start from scratch. She wanted to forget the sights. The smells. The hands that had groped her and the wounds that had disfigured her frame. She wanted to forget the words she had said and had been said to her. The actions she had committed. Her parent's death. Harry's accident… and Ron.

She closed her eyes as her heart constricted. She was finding it hard to breathe.

Ron… she had hurt him so much. She wanted to forget the look in his eyes after she had said it was over. That look had destroyed her. Hermione wanted to run away from that. She knew she was being cowardly, but facing him again… seeing what she had done to him would hurt more than not seeing him at all.

**A/N: Here you go!**


	6. Getting Back to Reality

_Don't tell me how life is  
'Cause I don't really want to know…  
Don't tell me how this game ends  
'Cause we'll just see how it goes…_

**Going Down in Flames by 3 Doors Down**

"Well I'm saying he didn't do anything," Hermione growled at Moody. When the Weasleys had entered her room she had instantly started arguing with Arthur and Moody, screaming at them for putting Blaise on trial. She was also doing her best to avoid the looks from Harry, Ginny and Ron.

"Blaise Zabini could have killed you," Moody snarled.

Hermione glared at him. "Well he didn't, did he? He saved me! I don't want to press charges! I want him right here," she stated firmly.

Dumbledore stepped forward. "Hermione, Blaise is not the best person for you to be seeing right now, especially since he was associated with Malfoy," he said.

Hermione shook her head, eyes closed. "No… he said he'd help me through this… he promised," she whispered.

"Do you even know what he wanted, Hermione?" Harry asked suddenly.

Hermione shot him a dirty look. "Shut up, Harry," she whispered.

"He has a point," Fred piped up.

Hermione turned to him in her bed, her eyes narrowed. "Why should it matter as long as I'm ok," she hissed.

"He could have killed you," Ron said.

Hermione's eyes snapped over to him and went wide before narrowing completely. "Get out… all of you just get out…" she whispered, looking away from him, her eyes tearing up.

"Hermione-"

"GET THE HELL OUT!" she shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. Her chest was heaving as she struggled to calm herself. Tears began to fill her eyes and she buried her face in her sheets, sobbing loudly. The healer in charge of Hermione started shooing people out, not wanting Hermione's stress level to go up anymore than it already was. It was dangerous enough to have the Weasleys in there. If Hermione's stress level went up any further she could go back into a state of shock. Her body wouldn't be able to handle such a thing.

* * *

"Oy, Zabini. Get up, you're free," said one Auror, opening the door to the small room he had been confined to until he was sent to Azkaban. Blaise looked up and frowned.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously. The second Auror just took out his wand and pointed it at Blaise.

"Just get up," he growled. Rolling his eyes, Blaise got up and walked out of the room and was escorted down the hall to the check in area.

"Where's my wand?" he asked. The Auror at the desk shook his head.

"You're not allowed to use magic anymore, Zabini. At least not around here. It's all explained in the file," he said, handing him a file and then turning to another Auror.

Blaise took the file, glaring at the man. He then turned and walked over to the exit. His eyes took a minute to adjust to the light outside. He could see cars whizzing by and people passing by, oblivious to what was happening behind these doors. Blaise took a deep breath and walked out, looking around at the busy summer afternoon.

"Nice to see you out of there again," came a deep raspy voice from beside him.

Blaise smiled and started walking, the man falling in step beside him. "You must think its funny, me about to go to Azkaban," he said as they walked down the street. The man smiled.

"I do. I was wondering how long it would take the famous Zabini to join his family in prison," the man rasped.

Blaise glanced over at the older man and shook his head. "I'm too good to get caught, Denham," he said.

Denham snorted. "Yeah that and the fact that Granger refused to press charges. You really can't put someone in jail for saving someone's life can you?" he asked.

Blaise stopped and turned to the man, forcing other people on the street to walk around the two. "She set me free?" he asked in surprise.

Denham started walking again, nodding with a smirk on his face. "Seems that your little trips did something. She's rather attached to you. Been asking to see you apparently. Of course that can't happen because of the Weasleys," he said.

Blaise didn't answer for a while, his eyes trained on the faces passing by. The idiots, going about their daily routine not knowing what he was. What he was capable of. Not know what Denham was capable of.

Blaise pointed to a woman waiting at the traffic light. She was beautiful, tall and had flowing black hair. _Model probably_, Blaise thought, yet he could see things about her that most people couldn't. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and her wrinkled clothes. He could also see the way she kept glancing around, clutching her bag to her. "You see her?" he asked. When Denham nodded, he continued, "People like here are the reason I do this. Their lives are perfect until they make one small mistake and they end up regretting it for the rest of their lives. You and I are the only ones who can help them start new," he said.

Denham nodded and started moving again. "You're not done with Granger." It was more of a statement then a question. Denham knew Blaise. He knew how he operated.

Blaise walked over to him. "Not by a long shot… I'm never done," he said.

* * *

Hermione looked up when the door opened and froze slightly when Ginny entered. Ginny thanked the healer and closed the door before walking over to Hermione and sitting down in a chair. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before Hermione looked back out the window, eyes on the small bird hanging out by the window.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked casually.

Hermione glanced over at her before returning her gaze to the bright outdoors. "I've been in a hospital for six months, how would you feel?" she whispered.

Ginny bit her lip then looked around, taking in all the flowers and cards surrounding Hermione. "Ron and Harry want to see you," she said.

"No they don't… they just want to be good friends," Hermione responded in a dead voice.

"Ron and Harry love you," Ginny whispered.

Hermione turned to Ginny. "Why? Why would they love someone who almost killed them?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"Because love is about forgiveness, Hermione. You had no choice… no chances…"

"I had a choice and I had _plenty_ of chances, Ginny. I chose the easy way out," Hermione responded.

Ginny stood and took Hermione's hand. "Look, Hermione. You're still under a lot of stress and you blame yourself for what happened… but there are still people who love you… don't forget that," she whispered.

Hermione looked down at their hands then sighed. "I know…"

* * *

Blaise sat down at his small kitchen table, taking out the file and laying it out in front of him. Rubbing his eyes, he opened the file and examined it carefully, his eyes running over every word and every paragraph. Finally he found what he was looking for. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Blaise Z. Zabini is no longer permitted to use his wand or any other magical accessory in side of England or Europe. The use of magic or any magical item will result in arrest and lifetime in Azkaban…" he trailed off. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the papers. His mind raced through the countless trials he had faced. The useless evidence and the expendable idiots he had worked with. This was no different. He knew she'd need him back some time. And when she did, he'd be ready…

**A/N: Now we've seen a better insight as to what Blaise is up to. I hope this chapter was helpful. I promise some Ron/Hermione interaction. We've been long due for some of that.**


	7. Holding Out for a Hero

_Everybody wants to let go  
But somebody's gotta to hold on  
The whole world's going crazy  
But somebody's gottta stay strong  
It don't look good for right now  
But right now ain't forever  
Everybody wants to let go  
But somebody's gotta to hold on_

**Let Go by Kierra Kiki Sheard**

"Hello, I'm Hermione's healer. My name is Hannah Chunning. I'm Healer Fanning's assistant. I'm here to explain Hermione's situation to you," the woman said standing in the middle of the waiting room. There weren't many people there. Mainly just the Weasleys. Mr. Weasley stood up.

"What wrong?" he asked.

Hannah glanced around then sighed. "Hermione's seems to be reverting back to her original emotional state. She's not showing many signs now, but she is showing a bit of aggressiveness. She's doing well right now, so we'll just have to see. There is, however, a problem with her sight."

"You mean she can't see?" Molly asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Hannah shook her head, frowning. "Hermione has _Giorno cecitê_. It's Italian for 'day blindness'," she explained.

"Day blindness? Meaning?" Molly asked worriedly.

Hannah sighed. "Day blindness is basically when you can't see during the day but at night you're completely fine."

"Yeah, I figured that much by the name," Harry grumbled.

Hannah turned to him. "Hermione's case is not any normal case. She can see. She's just colorblind. Hermione can see the color red, but everything else is black. However, at night, she turns into an owl. Everything lights up for her."

"Why is she blind?" Ron asked carefully.

"The poison she was given has done something to her optical nerves. She'll be able to see normally eventually," Hannah reassured them. She was about to leave when Ron hit her with another question.

"The poison made her better?" he asked.

Hannah turned around to face them, biting her lip. "I will not lie to you. That poison is not legal in England. Its main purpose of course is to kill, but in a very painful way. We don't even know what it was, exactly. However, in situations dealing with emotional shutdowns, the poison serves a different purpose. Blaise Zabini knew exactly what he was doing when he gave Hermione the poison. It did make her overcome that hurdle with only that one symptom. You should be grateful Hermione's alive," she said before leaving. Harry looked around then walked off down the hall, looking over the numbered doors until he found the one he was looking for. He opened it to find that the room was in darkness. He was about to take out his wand when a raspy voice stopped him.

"Don't…"

Harry frowned and looked around. "Hermione?" he called.

"I'm here… don't turn on the lights. I can't see with the lights on," she whispered. She sounded drained. Harry felt around until he hit the bed side and then felt around for a chair. Sitting down he found out that the room was in fact slightly lit. There was moonlight passing through the one window in the small room. Once he had grown accustomed to the shortage of light, he could see Hermione sitting up in bed, holding a book. She looked over at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Ginny had told him and Ron about what Hermione had said about not wanting to see them. It had hurt. He knew she was afraid of facing the inevitable, but the fact that she just didn't want to see them still cut deep. She had pushed them away for so long that the enormity of their forgiveness was incomprehensible to her.

"I wanted to see how you were," he answered quietly.

Hermione snorted. "I'm guessing they told you I'm having some anger problems," she rasped out.

"Look, Hermione-"

"Don't you 'look, Hermione' me. I'm not eleven. I'm eighteen and…" she trailed off, wiping away the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes. "You have no reason to forgive me for what I did…"

Harry's heart clenched in his chest, hearing her talk like this. He wanted so much to comfort her. To say that it was ok, but he knew it was a lie. Things were far from ok. With Hermione still in the hospital and Zabini out on the streets, the public was not ok. They wanted to see a show and the press was giving it to them. Hermione was the main focus. Being an of age orphan the Ministry was having trouble going about the arrest of Blaise and then his release. Hermione had managed to get him out of the security center for those awaiting trial, but it had come at a serious consequence on Blaise's part.

He touched her hand. "But I do… Ron does also… Hermione, you did what you thought was best. You shouldn't beat yourself up over that…"

Hermione observed Harry for a moment then turned to look out the window. "You know… even in this light… I can't see if I look directly at the moon…" she whispered.

"The healer says that the blindness will go away eventually," Harry murmured.

Hermione squeezed his hand, looking at him. "Nothing's going to be the same Harry… no matter how much Ron wants it to be the same… when I get out of this hospital… We both know that it will never be the same…"

Harry took her hand in both of his. "Don't say that. Things can still change," he whispered.

Hermione looked at him for a moment then looked out the window. "Do you remember that time… when we used to read fairy tales and wish we could be like them?"

"I didn't know many fairy tales," Harry said.

"But do you remember?" she asked urgently.

Harry nodded. "Yeah… I remember."

"We were so stupid back then. Thinking that all we had to do was slay the dragon and rescue the person in trouble… then you'd fall in love and live happily ever after..." She turned to him. "They forgot to tell you that it didn't work that way in real life… They never told you that you had to sacrifice everything, that the people you loved would die and that falling in love was a dangerous task…"

"Do we still get the happy ending?" Harry asked softly.

Hermione looked at him for a moment then down at their hands and shook her head.

"No… Real heroes don't get happy endings…"

* * *

Looking up from his coffee, Blaise surveyed the outdoor café quietly, ignoring the muggle couple a few tables away, embracing each other. He never knew he'd find himself in this position again, asking for her help, but he knew it was the only way. He hadn't seen her since… well since the last time he had done this. The point was, it hadn't ever gotten this complicated.

Then he saw her. She was much prettier than he remembered, but then again, she had always been beautiful. Her hair was different though. Cut short, there were highlights of copper glinting in the summer sun. Her eyes shone brightly when she caught sight of him and she waved slightly, moving over and sitting down across from him where she observed him as he did her. Her normally pale skin was sun-kissed and graced with the occasional freckle.

"I was wondering when I'd hear from Blaise Zabini again," she whispered, waving away the waiter.

He smiled and took another sip from his cup. "Well, I couldn't go this long without saying hello," he said.

She smiled back and looked around. "This was an unusual place to meet. I thought you'd want to pick some place more… _familiar_," she said pointedly.

Blaise handed her the file he had been given upon his release. She went over it quietly then her eyes grew slightly upon reading the sentence.

"Oh…" she whispered.

"Yeah, oh. I need your help with some stuff," he said.

"Blaise… I'm… I'm not _your_ type. I can't help you with those issues," she hissed.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking you to help me with that stuff… just… when I need you, I have to know that you'll help me," he explained.

The woman bit her lip and then looked away. "The last time I helped you I got hurt, Zabini," she whispered. Her voice had turned cold all of a sudden and the events of the summer after fifth year came to mind.

Blaise shifted around and sighed. "That was almost three years ago," he said.

She turned to him in surprise. "It still hurt," she hissed. "I give you what you want. Names. Locations. Flight plans. And what do I get? A bloody note that doesn't explain a thing," she growled, grabbing her purse and standing up.

Blaise groaned and got up, throwing money on the table and following her out of the café, and into the street. He caught up with her and grabbed her arm. "Will you wait a moment," he hissed.

She stopped and closed her eyes, turning to him. "Why? So I can get betrayed again?"

"I didn't plan to leave… I had to get back to Hogwarts," he said.

"That still doesn't mean you couldn't say goodbye," she whispered before turning to leave.

Blaise watched her go for a moment then smiled. "Hey! Lex!" he called.

The woman stopped and turned. "What?" she snapped.

"It's Hermione Granger!" he said.

Lex stopped for a moment then headed back over to him, grabbing his arm. "What the hell did you do?" she growled.

"I didn't know you knew about her," Blaise said with interest.

Lex rolled her eyes, waving her hand impatiently. "Denham keeps me up to date," she said. She bit her lip then looked down. "Look, Blaise… I'll do it, ok. But that doesn't mean things are the same," she whispered before turning to leave.

"I wouldn't have it any other way…" he said.

She stopped and turned around again. "Why are you doing this again?" she asked.

Blaise paused a moment then stuffed his fist in his pockets, looking around the bustling street corner. "You know why…"

Lex rolled her eyes. "No, I don't. I mean… there are _millions_ of people who would kill to have the type of help you gave that man… and the help you're giving this girl. And I… I've never been able to figure out why you, Blaise Zabini, would want to help a muggleborn," she whispered softly.

Blaise flinched slightly then looked at her. "I have my reasons…"

Lexington Hollaway bit her lip and looked away, shaking her head. "We all have excuses for avoiding the inevitable. For some, it's to avoid confronting their past… for others it's to avoid confronting their future…" she looked at him, her beautiful hazel eyes searching his black ones. She was looking for a reason. For his reason. "But that's not you're excuse… you're trying to make up for something… something bad you did… You're a scared man, Blaise. Always have been, always will be," she whispered. Sighing she hitched up her bag and looked around. "Some day, you're going to have to realize that running away and trying to make up for what you did doesn't make you a man, Blaise. It's facing it and finding forgiveness in God that makes you into what most boys can only dream to be…"

"What's that?" he asked.

She gave him one last glance then started to walk away. "A hero…"

Blaise watched her disappear into the crowds and sighed. "I hate it when she does that," he whispered.

**A/N: Ooo! you can sense the sexual tension... or maybe it's just tension. Well, what ever it is, there's some truth to the woman's words.**

**sballLuvr5:** I'd say taht things were going to get better, but knowing me, that would be a lie.

**GTKari-123:** Well... forever is a bit drastic isn't it? How about a _really_ long time:-P

**charma10:** Well, I'd hate to do the whole Romeo and Juliet thing and give away the whole plot before the stories started!

**alice in reality:** Your name makes me laugh.

**NairobiDawn:** I think it will be a _very_ hard, _very _long road.

**connieewing:** I'm glad you liked it.

**Chapter Tease:**

_"You once told me that you loved me…"_

_"I still do," he murmured._

_She froze and bit her lip. "Don't… Don't love me… Hate me…"_


	8. History Lesson

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP. Only this plot.**

_Did you always give it your best?  
Is there anything you regret?  
If you could have another shot at it all would you do it just the same?_

_Was it all you thought it could be?  
Are you the person you thought you would be?  
Or did it feel like you were spinning your wheels instead of moving forward everyday?_

**Did You by Hoobastank**

Whistles greeted her as she entered the pub. Rolling her eyes, Lex headed over to the bar where a small firewhiskey was waiting for her. She raised an eyebrow and pushed the drink away, sitting down on the stool.

"You know I don't drink," she said to the man sitting next to her.

Frank Denham smiled and turned to her, holding up his shot glass. "Cheers," he greeted, downing the amber liquid.

Lex smiled and turned to the bartender. "I'll have a butterbeer," she said. The man nodded and turned to get her drink.

Denham observed her carefully. "How do you get into these places?" he asked curiously.

Lex thanked the man and turned to Denham. "My cousin works at the Ministry in Cairo. He was able to get me a Muggle Pass," she told him, sipping her drink.

Denham raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter, motioning for another shot. "So, what did you want to see me for?" he asked.

Lex looked down at her hands circling the butterbeer bottle and sighed. "I want to know more about Blaise," she whispered.

"I thought you _knew_ everything about him," Denham said with a smirk.

Lex rolled her eyes. "I did not sleep with him," she stated. "I hardly knew him that well."

"I never said that."

"We were just friends."

"Were?"

"I just want to know why he's doing this, that's all," she said.

Denham downed another shot and grimaced slightly as the fluid stung his throat. "What makes you think I know much about it?"

"If there's anyone Blaise would confide in, it would be you, Frank. He doesn't have family as far as I know," she whispered.

The man blanched slightly and then gulped, wiping his mouth. "No, I suppose not," he whispered.

"Frank, please."

Denham considered her for a moment then sighed. "Fine… well, the first thing you need to know is that Blaise wasn't the best kid," he said.

"I figured that much," Lex commented.

Denham turned to her. "Have you ever heard of the Maxwell Murders?" he asked.

Lex frowned. "That was a muggle family," she said confused.

Denham shook his head. "Nope. It was a wizarding family living in a muggle neighborhood. Before Aurors could get to the scene however, the murder was all over the muggle news. We weren't able to do anything to stop it," he told her.

"What does that have to do with Blaise? That was over ten years ago… he wasn't old enough to use magic," she said, a cold chill making its way down her spine.

"Blaise has plenty to do with it…" Denham whispered, stroking his small mustache nervously. "They took it off the record, saying it was an accident, but everyone… meaning the Ministry, knew better. It was because of the public that the charges were dropped. Seven year olds are innocent my arse," he muttered.

Now she was starting to feel sick. She knew that nothing good could come out of the information he was telling her. "What did Blaise do?"

Denham looked up at her. "The muggle news said it was a fire right?" he tried to clarify.

Lex nodded. "Yeah… said there was a leak in the gas fireplace. An explosion," she said.

"The Ministry report to the public was slightly different. Said that some accidental magic was used."

"What happened?" Lex pressed.

Denham looked down at his empty shot glass. "They said he was innocent because he was too young to have done such magic. He didn't use magic. Zabini's too smart for that. What he did was call his parents and sisters into the den of the house. Said there was an emergency and then locked them in there. Turned on the gas and… without waiting until they passed out, he lit a match," he whispered. "Blaise has always been a pyromaniac."

Lex just stared at Denham, her eyes distressed and watery. "He tortured them before they died…" she murmured. When Denham nodded, she turned to him. "Was that the only time?" she asked.

Denham shook his head. "All of them were dismissed for different reasons, most being no evidence. There was the St. Norman Hospital Massacre. The Friedmen murder. And there was that fire at that church… I can't remember the name of it," he said quietly.

When he had finished, she looked away, putting a hand to her mouth as she struggled to maintain her composure as the information Denham had just told her flooded her senses with smells and images that she'd rather forget. Her hearing was bombarded with screams from a past life and the suffocating experience of a fire that had consumed her before darkness had released her. She closed her eyes as tears began to flow.

_Was this why he was helping these people? Because he had killed his own?_

"Why? Why would he kill them?" she asked, her voice trembling with barely suppressed rage.

Denham observed her for a moment then shook his head. "That's not my story to tell," he whispered before waving for the bill. After paying for both Lex and himself, he stood, taking out his wand. "Tell Blaise I said hi," he said before disapparating.

Lex bit her lip and looked down at her hands again, more memories of screaming children, pleading for deliverance while old ones sat quietly at the side, waiting only for death. She could still feel her own skin burning as flames licked at her flesh, lusting after her with a driving passion as the furnace grew brighter and bigger, black smoke filling the large room like a loud and sudden death to those who were willing. And to those who were desperate to leave the hellhole. She felt betrayed.

_Had he known? Is that why he had called upon my help? _

She jumped when the sound of lightening cackling in its meeting with earth sounded in the pub, lifting the heads of every drunk in the pub. She took one last sip of her drink and then stood, deciding to pay a certain someone a visit.

* * *

Hermione had smiled when she heard the telltale sounds of a storm on its way. Though she still couldn't see, she had asked that the lights be turned off so that the lightening could be seen clearly from her room. She wanted to hear the storm. 

"Hermione…"

She froze upon hearing Ron's voice. She turned to where the door was and frowned.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Ron could feel his heart constrict painfully at the coldness of her voice but he wasn't about to back down yet. "Can we talk?" he asked.

She didn't answer for a moment then turned her blind eyes back to the window. "I told them I didn't want to talk to you," she whispered.

"Hermione, please-"

"Why should I talk to you?" she snapped, turning to him. "I've ruined everything that could have possibly been for us. We have nothing to talk about," she said. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to feel something besides the deafening silence that rang throughout her heart. She wanted to forget the shame that she had put upon herself and Ron. She wanted to forget everything she had done and just be angry at someone. Unfortunately, the only person she wanted to hate was the one person she wanted to love. To forget she loved…

Ron reached out to touch her arm and she pulled away. He stood there helplessly, not knowing what to do. He wanted so badly to hold her. To tell her it was ok and that he didn't blame her, but that was the thing. No matter how much his heart wanted to deny it, some where deep inside of him, he did blame her. He blamed her for not saying anything sooner. He blamed her for hurting him. And that above everything else killed him. Ate away at his very being, accusing him of a horrible crime… accusing him of blaming her… He wanted so much to destroy it. To be rid of it, but it clung to him, festering in the deep recesses of his mind, slowly chewing away at the very humanity in him that loved her so much… that would always love her so much…

Hermione, not liking the silence, decided to flame up. "Why are you still here?"

"Hermione," he begged.

"NO!" she screamed, tears starting to form. "I… Just go away, Ron… it's easier when you're not around," she whispered.

"Hermione, I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.

For a moment it looked as if she had given up with the offense but then she did something that surprised him. She pushed back the covers and shakily stepped out of bed, glaring at her through blind eyes. She reached out, trying to find him. When he took her hand she felt around for his chest then shoved him back violently. But in her force, she had slipped as well, falling to the ground, a sobbing mess. She just sat there on the ground, crying. Ron hurried over to her, kneeling down and taking her face. He searched her face sorrowfully, hating himself even more for his previous thoughts.

"What did they do to you?" he asked, trying to wipe away her tears.

"Everything you would have never done," she whispered, pulling her face out of his hands and leaning against the bed. "I'm not that same girl you were kissing nine months ago, Ron…"

Ron sat down on the ground and just watched her, not knowing how to answer. She was desperately trying to separate herself from him. She was trying to separate herself from all the hurt… all the emotions that had plagued her. He knew she wanted to forget. He knew she wanted to disappear and never come back and that's what scared him the most.

He wasn't ready to forget… he _didn't_ want to forget…

Hermione was leaning the side of her head against the bed, her eyes closed as she tried to breathe. "Why are you still here, Ron?" she asked. At first he thought she was going to ask him to leave but when she turned to where he was he realized that she was asking a different question. She bit her lip and looked away. "Why are you still trying?"

Ron's heart dropped in that instant. He reached out for her hand. "Why are you pushing me away?"

Hermione closed her eyes as the thunder boomed, the rain pounding against the window. "Because… there's nothing left to hold on to," she whispered.

"Don't say that," Ron whispered, touching her face, caressing her cheek like he used to.

Hermione's lips trembled as tears started to fall again. "You once told me that you loved me…"

"I still do," he murmured.

She froze and bit her lip. "Don't… Don't love me… Hate me…"

"Hermione!"

"RON!"

"What do you want from me?" he shot.

"I want you to hate me!" she screamed. "I want you to hit me! I want you to…" She stopped for a moment, looking around the room. The hopelessness in her blind brown eyes was heartbreaking. "I want you to forget me…"

Ron leaned in to kiss her but she turned so that his lips made contact with her cheek. Ron closed his eyes. "I can't hate someone I love," he whispered.

She turned to him. "Then stop loving me," she murmured before shakily getting to her feet and crawling back into bed. Ron got up with her, watching her carefully.

"Hermione…" Ron whispered.

"What?"

"I'm not giving up on this."

Hermione closed her eyes and rolled over on her side, facing the raging storm outside. "It's over, Ron," she whispered.

Ron felt useless at that moment. Here she was, hurting herself and hurting him because she didn't have the strength to go on anymore. She was doing everything in her power to get rid of all the memories and he couldn't do anything to persuade her otherwise.

_Was that how it was going to end? Was she just going to give up?_

Hermione turned over for a minute. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

Hermione looked around. "The ring… how did you get it?" she asked softly.

Ron watched her for a minute, his heart dropping even further. He looked down. "It was my grandmother's… Her patronus was an otter also," he told her.

With that mention, Hermione turned over on her side and didn't say anything else. Ron wanted so much to hear her say that everything that she had just said wasn't true, but he knew better. Something's about Hermione may have changed, but she was still stubborn.

Ron looked up to see the rain drum against the glass as thunder and lightening danced and played in the dark sky above. He then looked down and took her hand. When she didn't move, he sat down on the edge of her bed and just watched her.

Hermione laid there, eyes closed as she struggled not to cry. She didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve that unrequited love that he bestowed upon her. He was so willing to wait for her but… she wasn't willing to put him through it. She wasn't willing to put herself through the type of pain that seeing him brought. The shame that came with seeing him…

* * *

Bill and Fleur looked up when Angelina came in with Fred later that evening. 

"Hey," Fred greeted, sitting down beside his wife.

Angelina looked over at Bill. "How's Hermione doing?" she asked.

Bill shrugged. "Ron's in there now, though I doubt that will last long… Hermione gave an order not to allow him in there. He probably just slipped past the talkative nurse and that annoying security guard," he grumbled.

Fleur frowned. "'Ermione does not need to be pressured. Ze 'as been through so much," she whispered.

Fred groaned. "Yeah, well, we're going through a lot out here…"

Angelina shook her head, taking Fred's hand. "We just have to pray she knows what she's doing," she said simply.

Bill nodded, looking around. "Where's Harry?" he asked.

Fred sighed. "He went back to the Burrow with Charlie and mum," he answered.

"And Ginny?" Bill asked.

"She's at the Burrow," Angelina whispered, frowning when she noticed Ron coming into the waiting room. His eyes were glazed and troubled. Fleur got up and went to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked carefully.

Ron looked up at her without so much as a blink then sat down beside Fred. "I'm fine," he whispered.

Unusually docile, Fred put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "You sure?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah… I'm good," he said, but everyone could see past it. Ron hadn't always been the best at hiding emotions when it came to Hermione. They could see the inner turmoil that was going on and it hurt.

* * *

Blaise groaned, getting up from the couch and walking over to the door. He looked through the peephole and rolled his eyes. Denham had stopped by earlier to tell him that she'd be stopping by, but he had refused to tell Blaise why. Upon seeing the angry female on the other side of the door, there were little options left to choose from. 

Opening the door, he stood out of the way as she stormed in.

"You son of a bitch," she growled, turning to him.

Cocking an eyebrow, he looked at her through apathetic black eyes. "I'm sure there's a reason behind this uncalled for accusation," he guessed lazily.

She glared at him. "It was you!"

Blaise rolled his eyes and started back for the couch. "Lex, you're not making any sense," he said over his shoulder.

"You killed your parents," she whispered.

Blaise froze, his blood draining from his face as he turned to face her. "Denham told you," he murmured.

Lex nodded. "He also told me that you had something to do with the St. Norman Hospital Massacre! Does that ring a bell! You _killed_ all of those innocent people, didn't you," she accused.

Blaise walked over to her. "Look, before you start accusing me off killing anyone I suggest you get the facts," he growled.

"You killed them! What other facts do I need? There were innocent children in that hospital along with older people!" she screamed.

Blaise grabbed her and slammed her into the wall. "That hospital deserved to go up in flames," he snarled, tightening his grip on her neck. "It was built by blood and deserved to go down in blood."

Lex had her hands on his, trying to pry him off while glaring at him. "You bastard," she hissed.

Blaise pulled her head away from the wall then slammed it into the wall again, eyes blazing. "My family was made up of Death Eaters. They all deserved to die."

"No one deserves to die," Lex rasped.

Blaise brought his face close to hers. "Oh really. Even after they've killed tons of children for the fun of it. After they've tortured you into silence ever since you were able to talk and after they cursed you into doing the most unthinkable crimes in the name of the Dark Lord," he growled.

Lex wasn't able to answer. He had tightened his grip on her neck incredibly and her eyes were starting to roll back as she struggled to breathe. Blaise let her go, glaring at her as she gasped for air. She looked up at him through watery eyes. "Innocent people don't deserve to die," she whispered.

"That's what happens in war," Blaise whispered.

"Whose war, Blaise? Your war?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "War is war, no matter what bastard decides to start it. War will always be an intimate battle between what people think is right and what the other person deems necessary. I may not have started the war, but I damned well finished it," he growled.

The venom in his voice shocked her. More memories flooded her mind as he glared at her. She closed her eyes. "I was in that fire… I was there when the conference room in the hospital blew up into flames…" she whispered, looking up at him. "My parents died in that fire…"

Blaise looked down at her then moved away, heading for the kitchen. "Shit happens," he said.

Lex's eyes grew and she watched him go. Fuming, she marched over to him and turned him around, smacking him continuously. "You filthy bastard! You killed my parents and all you can say is shit happens?!"

Blaise grabbed her arms, pinning her in the door way. "What do you want me to do? _Cry over their graves_? No… I won't cry for them or for my parents. I won't cry for anyone who died in those fires because I've gotten over it and moved on-"

"Did you know?" she interrupted.

"What?"

"Did you know it was my parents? Is that why you came and asked me for my help? Because you felt guilty?" she asked.

Blaise shook his head. "I didn't take pity on you," he answered.

Her eyes flared up. "I didn't ask for your pity," she growled. "I want to know why you killed them."

"I did what I did and it's all in the past, so I don't have to explain myself. The charges were dropped and I was set free so don't you start coming in here to bring up the past. And it's not what you said before. I'm not trying to make up for what I did. I'm helping someone who wants make up for what she did. I may not be a hero, but at least I'm no coward," he growled.

Lex could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks. She wanted to hit him. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted him to suffer as she had suffered during those weeks in the hospital, learning that her parents had died. But she also wanted to kiss him. Choosing to do the latter, she slipped a hand behind his head and pulled his lips to hers. Their lips met in a fiery explosion, the aggressiveness of their previous situation fueling them on. Teeth scraped teeth and tongue fought tongue as they lost themselves in the moment, both trying to forget.

Blaise ran his hands up and down her arms, unzipping her small jacket and pushing it off her before wrapping his arms around her small frame, pulling her much closer. Lex groaned into his mouth, her fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck while her other hand ran down his chest to his abs. Not wanting to let her gain control of the situation, Blaise shoved her against the doorway, needing to feel more of her. The fact that she was crying harder only made him kiss her harder. He didn't know how they had come to this position, but now that they were here, he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to lose the feeling of control that she gave him, even though he knew that she was more than capable of taking control. She may have been smaller than he, but she was harboring enough aggression against him to devour his entire being and he didn't want it any other way.

This was wrong. This was so wrong. Everything she felt about this man was going against all of her previous hatred for him. Just his touch was driving her to the edge, her mind growing fuzzy under his continuous onslaught. Lex was only half aware of these thoughts that were circling around in her head as she ran her hands through his hair and felt him run his hands up her back.

Shivers were radiating out from wherever Lex touched him and it was driving Blaise mad. For the longest time, even when they had first met, he knew that there was something about her that he liked. Blaise didn't know if it was the fact that like him, she had had a horrible childhood and was holding it inside of her or if it was just the fact that she seemed to torment him with feelings he'd rather not delve into. Or maybe it was the fact that her hatred for him was matched by her desire to get closer to him. No matter what the reason was, he had wanted to do this for so long. And judging by the way she was starting to lean against him, she was on the same wave leant as he was. He couldn't get her close enough to him and she seemed to want to be closer too. Her knees were starting to tremble as one of his hands traveled up her shirt, drawing tantalizing circles on the small of her back. His lips started to travel away from hers, going down her jawbone and starting on her burning neck. She whimpered his name as he nipped at her skin, pulling her impossibly closer. Her breathing was growing shorter as his hands ventured lower, her shallow begging urging him on.

Finally her knees gave out, making her grab onto his neck to hold herself up. This, however, only sparked more friction and another moan from Lex as Blaise pulled her closer. Breaking contact, Blaise looked at her, his eyes glazed and confused.

Panic set in. Lex, not having been in this sort of a situation before could feel the fear start to rise. This was a dangerous man she was dealing with and she had absolutely no idea what he _really_ wanted from her. He was a wonderful actor and she had been hurt too much to let him do it again.

Gulping, she looked around in fear. She looked back at him and bit her lip. "I… I have to go," she whispered. She bent down and grabbed her coat before heading for the door. Pausing at the door, she turned to see Blaise watching her carefully. There was something in his eyes that made her want to go back. Go back to his arms. She reached up and touched her hair, looking down at the ground. She then proceeded to wipe away the tears that he had given her when he had kissed her back. "Um… I'll come back later," she whispered before hurrying out the door.

Blaise watched her go then sighed, leaning his head against the doorpost. After a few calming breaths, he walked over to the kitchen table, trying not to think about the intimately passionate situation he had just been part of a few moments ago. He looked down at the files and rubbed his eyes, trying to swallow the blazing sensation to run after Lex and drag her back into his apartment for another snog. He sighed and looked out the window, where he could trees shaking as the wind and rain pounded into them. He needed to see Hermione.

* * *

Ginny looked up when Harry entered her bedroom and frowned. They hadn't talked since he had thrown her out of his room and frankly, she wasn't really sure if she wanted to see him again. But still, if he wanted to say something, she'd listen. It was the least she could do. Looking back down at her book, she flipped the page. 

"Ron's at Mungos, if you wanted to know," she said.

Harry sat down on the side of her bed and glanced at the book she was reading. "I know," he whispered.

She looked up curiously. "Then what do you want?" she asked.

Harry fiddled with the threading of her comforter. "I came to say that I'm sorry," he told her.

She stiffened, not expecting an apology. Normally, Harry would have just stayed in his room and brooded over what he had done, but not actually making an attempt at an apology anytime soon. She studied his face carefully then looked back down at her book. "Apology accepted," she said curtly.

"Ginny-"

"I think apologizing is a good first step, Harry. Don't ruin it by trying to explain yourself," she interrupted, looking back up at him.

"But Ginny-"

"Look, Harry," she stressed, dog-earing her page and shutting her book. She sat up straighter and looked him square in the eye. "With Hermione in the hospital and Ron acting all moody, things aren't going to be exactly great between us. I know you, Harry. Hermione and Ron are going to tell you things that are going to stretch you to your limits and I really don't want to be there when you blow," she said. Sighing, she took his hand and leaned in. "Once this whole thing is over, I'll be there to pick back up where we left off," she whispered, kissing him gently. Before she could pull away, Harry reached up and cupped her face with his hands, holding her there. Their lips moved together softly, trying to savor the moment. Ginny gave him one last kiss before leaning back and opening her book.

Harry watched her for a moment, taking in the way she blushed under his gaze and how she pursed her lips when reading a particularly interesting passage. He wanted so much to say that she was wrong but he knew better. She was just trying to find a reason to pull away after their episode a few days ago. Sighing he stood and started for the door. He'd give her the space she craved. He'd wait…

* * *

_Hermione found herself searching through the shelves, trying to find the book she needed for her DADA essay. Harry and Ron were sitting far off at one of the tables out of her sight, probably doodling on parchment instead of studying. Finding the book she was looking for, she pulled it out and started flipping through it, searching for a specific passage she remembered seeing a few months ago when she had last checked out the book. She smiled when she felt lips trail enticing kisses down her neck as familiar strong arms encircled her, pulling her into a broad chest. _

"_I'm trying to find something," she told him._

"_So am I," he whispered into her ear._

_Feeling her heart flutter with glee, she tried to remain calm. "What are you looking for?" she asked._

_Ron spun her around, kissing her neck until he came to her ear. "Your pulse," he whispered. _

_She gasped as he nipped her ear, her heart beating faster as his lips descended until he was kissing the spot right under her jaw. He smiled when he felt her pulse quicken under his lips, pulling her closer as he continued to gently kiss her neck. Hermione, yearning for his lips, reached up with her hands and pulled his face to hers. Meeting her lips with equal anticipation, Ron took the initiative away from her, managing to get his tongue into her mouth and start exploring, making her moan loudly and drop her books. Ron grinned, loving how he made her feel. _

_Hermione pulled away, in desperate need for some air. She stepped back, leaning against the shelf and fiddling with his shirt. Ron watched her attentively, taking in her pink slightly swollen lips and tousled hair. The way she was pulling on his shirt gently and the way she was licking her lips to wet them was so innocent, yet so seductive Ron had to kiss her. Without giving her so much as a warning, he took hold of her face and his lips came crashing down on hers eagerly. Hermione struggled for breath, surprised by his onslaught. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her knees buckling as he continued to kiss her._

"_Ahem," someone coughed._

_Ron jumped away from Hermione as if he had been burned and they both turned in surprise to see Harry and Professor McGonagall standing there, looking quite embarrassed, though it was quite obvious that Harry was trying not to smile._

"_Professor!" Hermione gasped, straightening her robes and going completely red. Ron just stood frozen._

_McGonagall cleared her throat and stood straighter. "Follow me," she said curtly, turning on her heel and leaving, her robes billowing behind her. _

_Harry snorted and followed, trying not to laugh out loud, though a few sniggers escaped. Hermione glanced over at Ron and smiled, picking up her books and hurrying after Harry. Ron rolled his eyes and trailed after them. _

_They'd pick up where they left off later…_

**A/N: This has got to be _the_ longest chapter I've ever written. I hope none of you expect me to update anytime soon after this one. This should keep you satisfied for a while. I've had this one for at least a month, tweaking certian bits. It was emotionally exhausting! Especially the part with Hr/R... it took me forever to get that part just perfect.**

**peachpaige:** I love sexual tension. It's what keeps this whole thing spinning.

**connieewing:** I think I've given you plenty to read from.

**sballLuvr5:** There's still a lot left to happen.

**GTKari-123:** Now, "whore" is a very strong word. I prefer vixen. Anyway, I think you'll enjoy this and forget the whole, "Hermione's leaving!" thing. I never exactly said she was...

**Wesker888:** Well, this way, you can enjoy without trying to find things to critque. Hope you enjoy.

**NairobiDawn:** I don't know what's wrong with me, but I seem to enjoy bad endings, (to me their the best endings). Not to be hypocritical. I _love_ happy endings if their done well. And they _really_ have to be done well or it's just too cliched. I hope you enjoy this story whether or not they get the happy ending.

**Avanell:** Oh, he'll stand his ground, but for how long...

**Dani:** Now, purposely, I put you last... It's not that I don't do happy endings, but I just don't do happy endings often. Plus, my idea of a happy ending is that no one dies. Now, personally, if it was completely up to me and I totally ignored my reviewers, I'd do the whole Romeo and Juliet thing, but good for you, I don't. I really enjoy reading your reviews and am thankful that you enjoy my stories so much. I hope you stay with this until the end!

**No Chapter Tease. (I just gave you a _very_ long chapter!)**


	9. If I Go Crazy

_You called me strong, you called me weak,  
But still your secrets I will keep  
You took for granted all the times  
I never let you down  
You stumbled in and bumped your head,  
If not for me then you'd be dead  
I picked you up and put you back  
On solid ground_

**Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down**

Mr. Weasley entered the waiting room a day after Ron and Hermione's little row, frowning upon seeing Ron sleeping in one of the chairs, Angelina watching him near by.

"How long has he been asleep?" he asked quietly.

Angelina looked up in surprise then offered a tired smile. "He's been out for a few hours now… at least he's getting sleep," she whispered.

"At least," he repeated.

Angelina frowned then, looking down at her hands. "I just don't want to think about what he's going through…"

Mr. Weasley nodded, handing her some coffee then walking over to where Fred and Bill were conversing quietly. Fleur had left an hour earlier. The men acknowledged their father, taking the coffee he offered them gratefully.

"Any word on Hermione's condition?" Mr. Weasley asked.

Bill nodded, sighing heavily. "The healer just informed us that Hermione's not getting any better. They need that poison," he whispered.

Mr. Weasley frowned. "Well, we can't get that poison. The only person who can is Zabini," he whispered.

"Who's here," Fred said, looking past his father to a young man talking to a nurse.

Mr. Weasley turned to see Blaise standing there and went over to him, attracting the attention of Angelina who shook Ron.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. Weasley asked firmly.

Unfazed, Blaise looked him over with disinterest. He looked around then his eyes got big as if just realizing something. "It's a hospital. I _must_ be sick," he responded.

Mr. Weasley took a step towards the man. "Don't mouth me, boy. You're treading in bad water so I suggest you step lightly," he growled.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me to step lightly, Weasley. You need something that I have so I think you better start acting nice," he retorted.

Fred started for Blaise when Ron stood up, stopping him. He looked Blaise over carefully then frowned. "What do you want from Hermione?" he asked quietly.

Blaise studied Ron for a moment then shrugged. "Normally, I would answer with a very sexual comment in which you would punch me repeatedly until some nurse comes because I know that your two brothers sure as hell aren't going to pull you off of me. But, seeing as I actually do have a purpose for coming here, though I'm not going to be sharing it with _you_, I'm just going to say that I have something to give your little girlfriend," he answered simply.

To that statement, Ron visibly flinched, his eyes darkening. His hands balled up into tight fist, he glared at Blaise. "What makes you think that we're going to let you in there?" Ron asked.

Blaise smiled. "Because, Hermione's been dying to see me. She finds out that _you_ didn't allow her in and she'll _really_ lay it into you," he pointed out.

"Blaise?"

They all turned to see Hermione standing there with a nurse helping her.

"What Granger?" he asked rudely. Her blind eyes got bright and a smile came to her face as she hobbled over in his direction, the nurse helping her out. She finally found him and pulled Blaise into a tight hug.

"You're late," she whispered.

Blaise rolled his eyes, pulling away. "I'm never late," he growled, walking past her. "Where's your room?" he asked.

Hermione bit her lip then nodded to her nurse, hurrying after him. "Blaise wait…" she called. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Blaise turned to her, studying her features then rolling his eyes again. "Where's your room?" he asked again, his voice showing a hint of aggression.

Hermione frowned and then led the way, opening the door and going to her bed. The nurse made sure she was ok, and then left the two alone.

"I have to talk to you about something," Blaise whispered, walking over to the window.

"What?" Hermione asked, taking the potion he had handed her.

"I'm not allowed to use magic any more," he told her.

"What?!" she shrieked. "Since when?!"

Blaise rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Granger. Don't act surprised. You actually think that they'd allow me to use magic after I illegally gave you poison and could have killed you," he said.

"But you didn't!"

"Damn it, Granger! Just give it a rest," he growled. When she kept her silence, he turned to face her. "I can't help you here… and if I can't help you then you're only going to get worse," he whispered.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

"That means that either you're going to have to go back in the safety room for the rest of your life or you're going to have to leave England," he said.

Hermione shook her head. "No… I can't leave England," she whispered.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "You're willing to leave your boyfriend because you can't stand the past, but you can't leave England why?"

Hermione bowed her head, her eyes tearing up. "I… Ron doesn't deserve me…"

Blaise let out a self-suffering sigh, moving away from the window. "Oh cry me a river," he muttered to himself. He went over to her bed. "Look Hermione. I can't make that choice for you. I really don't care what you do with Weasley or Potter, but…"

"But what?" Hermione asked.

Blaise looked at her, taking in her chocolate blind eyes. "I _do_ care if you go back into that safety room. I can't protect you there," he whispered.

Hermione's tears filled her eyes and ran silently down her cheeks. Biting her lip, she reached out for his face. Blaise grabbed her hand before she made contact with his face.

"Why are you doing this for me?" she asked.

"I'm not doing this for you," he whispered.

"Then why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Seeking to forget makes exile all the longer; the secret of redemption lies in remembrance," he murmured.

"Who said that?" Hermione asked.

Blaise looked down at the hand he was holding. "Some prick named Richard von Weizsaecker," he replied.

"What do you think it means?" she asked.

Blaise took a deep breath. "That just because you leave a place doesn't mean you have to forget what you've done," he whispered.

"What did you do?" she asked.

He looked at her. "Nothing worth talking about right now," he muttered.

There was a moment's silence then Hermione sat up, kneeling in her bed. She reached out for Blaise's face again and found it. She hesitated for a moment then leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips before pulling away and biting hers.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" Blaise asked, slightly confused.

She leaned in and hugged him, resting her head on the crook of his neck. "For coming back," she whispered.

* * *

Lex looked up to see Blaise come in. She set down her tea and stood up, watching him carefully. Blaise placed his keys down and then looked up to see Lex. 

"How did you get in?" he asked, walking past her and going into the kitchen.

"You gave me an extra key, remember," she answered, following him. "Is she ok?" she asked.

"What makes you think I was with her?" Blaise asked.

Lex touched his arm. "Denham told me," she whispered.

"Denham seems to be telling you everything," Blaise muttered, turning to face her. "What are you doing here?" he asked quietly.

Lex hesitated then looked down at her hands. "I… I wanted to see you again… make sure you were ok, that's all," she whispered.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked, grabbing her right arm. He had noticed when he had seen her that she was cradling it closer to her body than normal.

"It's nothing," she muttered, wincing in pain.

Blaise released her, looking down at his hand then up at her. "You're bleeding," he whispered.

Lex shook her head, turning to leave. "I'm fine," she insisted, making her way to the door.

Blaise grabbed her other arm and twisted her around, pulling her up to his chest. "What happened?" he growled.

She looked up at him through frightened eyes. "They came out of no where," she whispered. "They said that they'd kill me if I didn't give them what they wanted."

He shoved her up against the wall, his eyes blazing in anger. "What did they do to you?"

Lex closed her eyes in pain. "Nothing…" she murmured. "I got away before they could do anything," she told him.

Blaise observed her for a minute then let her go, heading for his bedroom. "Come with me," he whispered.

Following him, she sat down on his bed and waited until he appeared from his bathroom with a potion and a bandage. When he approached her, she shied away.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he growled, rolling up her sleeve. He pulled a face upon seeing the nasty gash on her arm, leading up to her shoulder and disappearing. He frowned. "Take off your shirt," he ordered.

"What?" she yelped, getting up.

"Take off your shirt," he repeated, annoyed.

She shook her head. "I'm fine," she insisted.

Blaise grabbed her, pulling her right up to him. "_Take off your shirt or I will_," he hissed dangerously.

Gulping, Lex pulled away from him and took off her shirt, blushing profusely under his gaze as he took in her black lace bra. Smiling at her, he poured some of the potion on a small washcloth and started wiping away the blood.

"Do you know who it was?" he asked.

"No," she whispered, wincing as he wiped the liquid on her back.

Sighing, he placed the bandage on her and sat back, watching as she snatched her shirt away from him and shoved it on quickly. He had the burning desire to go out and try to find the idiots who dared try to touch her but he refrained from doing so. She had come to him for a reason and he wasn't about to abandon her to satisfy his own rage.

_What did she come here for anyway?_

She had said she wanted to see him and quite frankly, he had wanted to see her as well. There had been something about their last meeting which had stayed with him. It wasn't just the snog, though that had been brilliant, but it was the way she had looked at him after that was branded into his memory. Her confusion which had been mixed in with something else that Blaise had only seen one other time. He had seen it in Hermione when she looked at Weasley. Though he wasn't ready to take these speculations to such length but he was willing to admit that he did harbor a slight attraction for the small woman with the blazing eyes.

She was about to speak when his lips suddenly made contact with hers, surprising her. Lex sighed into the kiss, letting him pull her closer as their lips moved together. Blaise pushed her back on the bed, forcing her into a position she definitely wasn't comfortable with.

Once again the alarm bells had gone off. She knew he was dangerous. That was the reason she hadn't allowed herself to get to close when she had last seen him about three years ago. But now… just the fact that he _wanted_ to be closer to her was mind-boggling. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Believe that he _really_ cared about her. But that would be lying to herself and allowing herself to be lead into a horribly false dream. The reality of it was that she knew Blaise. She knew about his exploits with other girls her age and younger. She had heard of how he had led them to believe that he was in love with them. He had gotten them to give up what was most sacred to get the pleasure he needed. Though she wanted to believe that he wouldn't do the same with her, the constant nagging at the back of her mind continued to grow stronger as Blaise's hands started wandering. One of his hands, which had been by her cheek slowly made its way past her neck down to her collarbone where he kissed her gently, feeling her heart beat faster. He moved back up to her shoulder where he encountered something different. Pulling away, he looked at her shoulder to see scars all over, going down her right arm then stopping. Blaise looked up at her.

"Is that from the fire?" he asked.

Brought back to reality, Lex glanced down at her shoulder and her eyes got large. Taking a deep breath, she shoved him off and got off the bed, distancing herself from him. Blaise watched her carefully, taking in her troubled eyes and shy movements. He smiled to himself and picked up the potion and washcloth, getting up from the bed. It didn't take much for him to tell why she had pulled away.

_She's scared of me_, he thought as he set the stuff down.

"What do you want from me?" she asked quietly.

Blaise turned to face her, watching her carefully. "What do you think I want?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Lex bit her lip, not capable of looking into his eyes. "A warm body and free information," she whispered.

Blaise smiled and approached her, observing how she backed away slightly. "Well, you're right about one thing…"

She looked up at him. "What was that?" she asked.

"I am getting free information," he whispered, walking out of the room.

**A/N: Here you go.**

**Dani:** Hey! Just to let you know, I've already written the ending. It still needs some fine tuning, but it's basically set. I don't normally write endings before I've even started with other things, but I felt that this ending had to be written soon or I'd go on a tangent and that wouldn't be good for any of you. Of course, I'm not going to give away anything, but... hope you like it so far.

**Punker88:** I've had some people say that I'm too dark and personally I think I am at some points. Falling to Pieces has got to be one of the darkest stories I've ever written apart from Living in Sin. I'm glad that this one is less sinister than the first. It gives the reader the time to see the effect of all that has happened. The thing is, I've cried a little while writing some of the chapters. I don't want people to think that I write these to make them cry. I'm crying with you all.

**connieewing:** I'm glad you did!

**sballLuvr5:** I'm going to be doing that every now and again, the whole flash back thing. I want the readers to _really_ know what R/Hr's plans were before seventh year. All you saw was the fluff. I want you to see the emotion.

**Lisha:** Actually, there isn't a relationship between Lex & Hermione. Just Lex and Blaise, which is completely sinister. I hope this chapter cleared a few things up for you.

**Wesker888:** "Kicked to the curb" sounds so hillbillyish. I'd say he's not backing down yet. He still has a little more left in him.

**SpiderQueenSkylar:** Spins are my specialty!

**NairobiDawn:** I've been wrong in calling them 'bad endings'. Their not 'bad' endings but just tragic endings. From now on, let us refrain from calling them 'bad'.

**charma10:** Thanks. I really worked a lot on that chapter _forever_!

**Update: The reason these chapters are coming in a little far after each other is because I've been working on on each one. Most of them are already made but they have to be tweeked. Especially with Ron. He's going through so much that the mood has to be just right to show the emotion. Please bear with me. **

**No Chapter Tease.**


	10. Reliving it All

**Disclaimer: JKR knows what she's doing.**

"Hermione…"

"Hmmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"If it's about Ron, no."

"Hermione, seriously."

"No."

"You can't keep avoiding this."

"No."

"You love him."

"Drop it, Harry!" she snapped, rolling over to face him. Her eyes were welling up and she was biting her lip so as not to start sobbing.

Harry stood up and took her hand. "Damn it, Hermione. How long are you going to do this? How long are you going to torment yourself and Ron until you end up back in that safety room? I can't begin to tell you what this is doing to Ron," he whispered.

Hermione laughed mockingly. "I'm sure he's told you everything," she grumbled.

Harry grabbed her face furiously, making her look at him. "Do you love him?" he demanded.

"Harry," she pleaded, trying to pry herself away.

"_Answer me_," he growled.

Hermione bit her lip again then her shoulders started to shake as the tears poured over. "I love him… I love him so much," she sobbed.

"Then why are you doing this?" Harry asked, letting her go.

"Because, Harry!" she shouted. "I… he… he wanted to marry me! He wanted to… start a life together… have a big family… grow old together," she murmured.

"You can still do that! You can still have the family you wanted!" he exclaimed.

Hermione shook her head. "No… that disappeared the moment I agreed to give myself away…"

"That doesn't mean you have to push him away."

She turned to him angrily. "Why should I hold on? Why should I pretend not to feel the shame I do whenever he's around? Why should I pretend not to see that look in his eyes? That look that says he will _never_ forget what I've done even if he tries! Why should we be forced to pretend that it's ok when everything has fallen to pieces?"

Harry took her hands. "Because, Hermione. We have to believe that even through all this that there's still something worth living for," he whispered.

Hermione glared at him. "There is _nothing_ worth hanging on to," she growled.

Harry's shoulder's sagged. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, Hermione would not change her mind. But that was the problem… he didn't want to see Ron's look when it finally hit him that Hermione was not going to change her mind. "Please, Hermione… if not for you, do it for Ron…"

Hermione closed her eyes. "I've stopped caring, Harry… I stopped caring the moment I found out I was pregnant…" she whispered.

* * *

Ron looked up to see Percy sit down beside him, looking out to see the damage the storm had caused. Ron watched his older brother for a moment then turned back to the small lake.

"She wants to give up," he whispered.

Percy jerked slightly, not expecting him actually start talking. Turning to examine his brother, he frowned.

"Is that what she said?" he asked.

Ron shook his head.

"No, but she didn't have to… I could see it in her eyes… she can't do it anymore," he answered.

Percy looked down at his hands, not really knowing what to say. He didn't really know much about the relationship between Ron and Hermione to say anything deep. But he could see how much it was eating away Ron. He knew that everyone was hoping that things would turn out alright and things would go back to normal, but he knew better. He had observed enough to see that the situation wasn't improving.

"Ron… I know this is that last thing you want to hear… but… maybe you should just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to phrase his words without completely enraging his brother.

Ron turned to Percy.

"Maybe I should what?" he asked.

Percy pursed his lips and then looked away, standing up. "Maybe you should give up as well… Pull out before she hurts you again. You've forgiven her and tried to make her see reason, but Ron… You need to realize that she might not come back…" he whispered before walking off.

Ron watched him go then sighed, looking down at his hands. As much as he wanted to get mad and tell Percy that he was wrong and that Hermione would change, he knew that his brother was right. He had to face the horrifying reality of the situation. Hermione was pushing him away for both their sakes…

* * *

"_What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked, twisting a lock of his bright hair in her fingers as she watched the fire._

_Ron opened his eyes and looked up at her from his place on the couch._

"_Nothing really… just… life after Hogwarts," he answered groggily. _

_Hermione smiled. "You think that far ahead?" she teased._

_Ron rolled his eyes, lifting his head off of her lap and sitting up straight. "Really… I was just thinking about what it would be like to…" He suddenly got red and stopped talking._

_Hermione, instantly curious, turned to him. "What? What it would be like to what?" she asked insistently._

_Ron shifted awkwardly then sighed. "I was thinking about what it would be like to… to get married, not that I'm planning anything soon," he added quickly, his ears turning that famous Weasley red._

_Hermione stared at him for a minute then smiled. "What were you thinking?" she asked._

"_I don't know… just stuff…" he answered, clearly not wanting to delve any further into his own thoughts. _

_Hermione grinned and rested her head on his shoulder. "When we do get married I would like a small wedding," she whispered. "Just close friends and family. With lilies and a beautiful arch that we stand under."_

_Ron looked down at her. "You've been planning our wedding already?" he asked._

_Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well, not _our_ wedding, but my wedding. I didn't exactly know who the groom would be at the age of eight you know," she answered._

_Ron rolled his eyes. "So I'm just the last minute detail?" _

_Hermione grinned and kissed his neck, snuggling closer to him. "Be lucky you're invited," she whispered. _

_Ron snorted, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer, kissing her brow. "I love you, you know," he murmured._

_Hermione looked up at him. "I know," she whispered._

_The two stared at each other for a minute. Ron reached up and caressed her cheek, smiling as her eyes fluttered shut. He leaned in and kissed her soft lips. _

"_When do you want to get married?" he asked. _

_Hermione looked over at the dying fire. "When the war's over," she whispered. "And when we're out of Hogwarts… promise me you'll propose," she implored, turning to face him._

_Ron kissed her again, this time taking his time to convey his feelings for her. "I promise," he whispered against her lips._

Hermione woke up, not wanting to see anymore. She closed her eyes, wiping the sweat from her brow as she tried to steady her breathing.

She remembered that night… She had been so surprised that Ron had actually considered the option. Sure, she had thought about marrying him, but she hadn't really thought that they would last the war. The moment he started talking about marriage, her heart had soared…

_But now… oh but now…_

All her heart wanted was to forget the pain… to forget all that had happened in the past months and move on. Be given a second chance…

_Ron deserves to move on_, she thought.

* * *

Ginny looked up from her tea to see Ron enter. She watched him move across the kitchen silently, not aware of her presence. His eyes were red.

Had Ronald Weasley been crying?

That alone made her shiver. Something was happening to him.

Was he letting go?

_No_, she thought. _Not that fast… Not now…_

She watched him some more. She watched how he would occasionally rub his arm as he searched the cabinets. She sighed. They hadn't really talked since Hermione had gotten out of the safety room. He'd been so caught up in trying to see Hermione and she had been so busy in trying to avoid Harry that they never saw each other. She sighed. Maybe it was time they had a chat.

"Ron," she whispered.

There was a crash, swearing and then he turned around. "Ginny? What are you doing up?"

Ginny bit her lip and stood up, taking out her wand to help Ron with the mess he had created. "Sorry… I didn't mean to startle you," she apologized. Before she could repair the cup though, he had already gotten a bag and was placing the broken shards inside. Ron then opened the small closet at the side of the kitchen and took out a broom. He started to sweep it up the smaller pieces. Ginny watched him, her heart starting to drop. Ron was doing manual labor…

"Ron… you could use a wand," she whispered.

He didn't seem to hear her.

"Ron!"

He stopped and looked up. "What?"

She just stared at him, at a loss as to what to say. She walked over to him, looking over his suffering blue eyes and his sunken features. Ron was withering away.

"How do you wake up in the morning?" she asked.

He watched her for a moment then set the broom down and turned to leave.

"Screaming."

**A/N: Here you go.**

**Mione-Girl.x:** There somethings you can't put back together.

**sballLuvr5:** I like it to. I just wanted someone for Blaise so that he could keep his mind off of everything else.

**Dani:** Well, this _is_ Hermione we're talking about, after all those things that have happened to her, Harry's in the same ball park with Ron, only he's all the way in the out field while Ron's the stubborn pitcher that won't move even when his arm hurts. Hermione's not hitting anything over to him so he doesn't know what to do. Harry doesn't want to do anything to put Hermione back in that saftey room and that includes not messing with Blaise. For her sake.

**NairobiDawn:** Blaise is such an interesting character.

**GTKari-123:** You'll see Lex's purpose soon enough. She's actually just there to do what Blaise can't. Deal with the muggle stuff he can't deal with.

**connieewing:** Thank you for bearing with me.

**Wesker888:** Well, their good anyway.

**Chapter Tease:**

_Hermione looked up at Harry and took the bag. "I heard he was injured. Ran into a tree," she whispered._

_"It was raining."_

_"He was angry."_

_"He wasn't trying to kill himself."_

_"That's not what I said."_

_"That's what you meant."_


	11. Coming Back

_If I could have one wish tonight  
I'd wish upon a satellite  
To bring me back to you  
We spend our whole lives searching for  
All the things we think we want  
And never really knowing what we have _

**The Night The Lights Went Out In NYC by The Ataris**

Looking up, Harry watched Ginny enter the room, her eyes going immediately over to where he was.

"You're up?"

"So are you."

Frowning, she glanced over at Ron's sleeping form then sighed, walking over to Harry's bed and sitting down.

"What is it?" he asked.

She looked up at him.

"I heard about Blaise… is it true he's visiting her?"

Harry watched Ginny for a moment then back down at the letter he was reading. "Yeah… it's true…"

"Is Ron-"

"I don't want to talk about Ron," Harry interrupted sharply, his eyes on her again.

Ginny bit her lip and looked down at her hands then at the letter. "Did I bother you?"

"No… It's nothing. Just something from the Ministry," he muttered, crumpling the parchment in his fist and tossing it over in the corner.

Ginny watched him carefully then got up. "Well, I'll just go then," she whispered.

"Ginny."

She turned to him. He stood up and went over to her. "Don't make me wait until this is over…" he whispered.

She looked over to the window, racking her brain for something to say. Harry glanced over at the window as well before reaching out for her face and pulling her closer.

"Don't make me wait," he repeated before kissing her gently. Ginny's eyes fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He continued to kiss her until she pulled away, breathing deeply. For a moment it looked like she wanted to leave then she did something that surprised him. She pulled him to her, burying her face in the crook of his neck, tears running down her face.

"That could be us… That could have been me in that room," she sobbed softly.

Harry realized what she was talking about and pulled her closer, holding her tightly as his gaze fell on Ron.

_That could be him…

* * *

_

Hermione frowned as she watched Blaise relay his little problem with Lex to her.

"I never knew you were interested in Muggles," she whispered.

"Muggles and Mudbloods are different things," he responded.

"You're an ass."

"That hurts."

"Good."

Blaise rolled his eyes and stood up. "Why do I waste my time?" he muttered.

"Because you know you like my company," Hermione answered.

"I'd much rather be snogging a Muggle."

"Then go find Lex."

"You're funny."

"Us Mudbloods tend to be."

Blaise turned to her, smirking. He walked over to her bed and sat down on the side. "Since you're in such a good mood, may I enquire why?"

"I'm being released."

Blaise's smirk was suddenly gone. He looked down at her. "What?"

She shifted slightly then looked up at him. "I'm being released…"

"What about my offer?"

"Blaise-"

"Granger!"

"I can't just leave!"

"Well, I can't just let this slide. I gave you an ultimatum and you're chickening out because _now_ you've grown a conscience!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"You're so willing to sleep with another man, kill your mother, dump your boyfriend and almost kill your best friend but when it comes to leaving the place where it all happens you can't because why? You'll feel guilty for leaving them behind? It's a little late for that, Hermione," Blaise growled.

"For someone who wants so much for me to leave England, you're not doing such a good job of convincing me," Hermione retorted, glaring at him through her tears.

Blaise rolled his eyes, "Will you _stop_ crying! Damn it! I'm so sick of this self-pitying shit! You make the choice, Hermione. Not the Weasley's. Not Harry and definitely not Ron!"

"What going on in here?"

The two turned to see Harry standing there, wary green eyes on Blaise. Blaise glanced over at Hermione then stood up, grabbing his bag.

"Nothing, _Potter_," he sneered. "Granger was about to give me a back rub in exchange for some real fun, but it looks like you've already booked the bed."

Harry started for Blaise but Hermione got out of bed, grabbing him and glaring at Blaise.

"I think it's time for you to go," she whispered.

Blaise rolled his eyes and started out the door. "Enjoy, Potter," he said over his shoulder.

Harry lunged for him but Hermione stopped him. "Stop. He's not worth it," she whispered.

"What for me, or for you?"

Hermione looked up at him then turned away, letting him go and walking back to her bed. "I'm guessing you found out about my release," she said.

He held up a bag. "Mrs. Weasley and Ginny are outside. I came to give you some cloths," he told her.

"Where's Ron?"

"He's… flying."

Hermione looked up at Harry and took the bag. "I heard he was injured. Ran into a tree," she whispered.

"It was raining."

"He was angry."

"He wasn't trying to kill himself."

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you meant."

"Well, Harry. How many people go out _into_ a thunderstorm, fly around for several hours when they obviously have no control over their broom?"

"He wasn't trying to off himself," Harry muttered, growing increasingly annoyed by Hermione's evasive chatter.

"That's not what I said."

"But it's what you meant," Harry snapped.

Hermione looked away, taking the cloths out and sighing. "You think I'm falling for Blaise don't you."

"I think you're getting too close."

"I don't like Blaise."

"That's what you said about Ron."

Hermione's head snapped up, her eyes blazing.

"Don't start, Harry," she warned.

"No Harry, continue…"

They both turned to see Ron leaning against the door, eyes on Hermione. She puffed up slightly and then looked away. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Hermione…"

"Why can't you two leave me be?!" she screamed. "Don't you think I've been through enough?"

"Well, forgive me for not wanting you to push us away," Harry snapped.

"I'm not pushing anyone away," Hermione shot back.

"Then what the hell are you doing?"

"SHUT UP!"

The two turned back to Ron, shocked. His chest was heaving as he struggled to keep it together. "I just came to say that… I'm sorry," he whispered.

Hermione frowned. "For what?"

"For letting you walk out that door," he whispered before leaving.

Harry turned to Hermione. "I hope you know what you're doing to him," he whispered. "To Ginny."

"What does Ginny have to do with this?"

"That's just it, Hermione. You're not thinking about anyone else. You're just sitting in here plotting with Zabini and ignoring everyone else that actually cares about you!"

"I am not plotting!"

"Stop lying, Hermione! We can all see it in your eyes! You want to get out of here. You want to forget about all of this and you want to leave it all behind," he growled.

"So what if I do…" The defeated tone in her voice made Harry stopped. He looked at her and watched as she stood up and walked over to the window. "What if I do want to leave it all behind? Why should I stay and make him endure this?"

"What about the rest of us?"

Hermione walked over to Harry and took his hands. She looked up at him and a small smile appeared on her face. "You've survived this long… I'm sure the Boy Who Lived can survive without me," she whispered.

Harry snorted. "It's a scary thought," he murmured.

Hermione let out a soft laugh. "Yeah… it is…"

Harry watched her carefully and then pulled her into a hug, kissing her brow and holding her tight. Hermione closed her eyes, not wanting to cry. She had cried too many tears already…

* * *

Arriving at the Burrow, Hermione was greeted with the warm smiles and happy greetings of everyone except the one she wanted to see. Hermione sat for dinner beside Harry, trying to enjoy the conversations while trying to ignore the empty seat opposite her and the constricting loneliness she felt at his absence.

"He's outside, if you wanted to know," Harry whispered.

Hermione nodded and excused herself, walking over to the kitchen then out the back door. She looked around and found Ron sitting in the swing set. Taking a deep breath, she walked over to him, leaning on the pole.

"Need company?" she asked.

Ron looked up at her then back at the lake, shrugging. Hermione bit her lip and sat down in one of the swings. They just sat there for a while, both lost in their own pain. Hermione looked around, smiling as she watched the moonlight sparkle off the lake water.

"I've missed being outside," she whispered.

Ron glanced over at her then away. "You have been a bit pale lately," he responded.

There was more silence then Hermione spoke again. "I missed being with you," she murmured.

"You're just lonely."

The bitterness in his voice cut through Hermione and she looked up at him, not knowing what else to say. She watched him for a moment then looked away.

"I'm sorry, too," she whispered.

Ron looked up at her for a moment then decided not to say anything. Let them have this one moment of peace. Let them have this one moment of acceptance.

Tomorrow would be completely different…

**A/N: We are sooooo close to the end. I'm not going to post the review answers till the next chapter.**

**Chapter Tease:**

_He pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He was about to pull away when she took his face and kept him there, wanting to feel something..._


	12. Breaking Away

_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky  
And I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I love  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway_

**Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson**

For the first week, things seemed to be fine, but then they all realized how much Ron and Hermione's relationship had escalated into something much worse. It didn't take long before the sounds of their screaming filled the ears of everyone who struggled to keep out of their way while maintain the peace that had rapidly disappeared. It didn't take long before Ron was once again isolating himself outside, either just sitting by the lake or taking off flying and Hermione's heart wrenching sobs could be heard through the ceiling. Even Harry seemed to getting into some of the action, earning him a black eye once while Ron came out with a few scratches. Hermione's mood got worse.

To make things worse for Harry and Ron, Blaise was coming around often, disappearing into Hermione's room for hours at a time. No one else was able to go in….

* * *

"Ron… can I talk to you?"

Ron looked up and stiffened. He looked over towards the Burrow then nodded, turning his gaze back to the lake. Hermione sat down next to him and closed her eyes.

"I… I'm leaving England," she whispered.

There was a torturous silence before Ron stood up.

"What?"

"Ron, please," Hermione whispered, getting up as well.

"You're just going to go? Just like that? What about Harry? What about my family? What about…" he stopped suddenly, looking away.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Harry will understand as will your family…"

"But I won't," he finished.

Hermione bit her lip, searching for the right words to say. "Why can't you just let go?"

"Why do you _want_ to?"

"Because there's nothing left, Ron! There's nothing left!"

Ron turned around. "Hermione-"

"NO!" she screamed. "It's over Ron! We had our chance and it's over… now all we can do is pick up the pieces of what's left in our lives and just move on."

Ron looked as if he were going to explode when, to Hermione's despair, something worse happened. His shoulders sagged and his face flooded with hopelessness. He leaned against the tree and slid down it. Hermione could see him struggling with a lost cause. He was still trying to find a way. Trying to find a loop hole in which his words would make sense and persuade Hermione otherwise, but he was running out. He was torturing himself because he refused to see what everyone else already knew. He wanted to believe that things could go back but… Hermione had to turn away. The look in his eyes was too much for her to stand. Though he wasn't looking at her, she could see the pleading. The need for a miracle that would never happen was so overwhelming that it broke every part of her.

"Is… Is Blaise going with you?"

Hermione turned. "Ron-"

Ron stood up and walked past her.

"Ron, please! Can't we just… go back to being friends at least…" She knew the moment she had said that she had made a terrible mistake.

Ron turned around and faced her, his eyes pained. "No… we can't," he whispered before going back to the house.

"Ron," she called. "Letting go is the only way!"

"Why? Why does it have to be?"

"Because I don't want to love you anymore!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to love you! I don't want to feel the shame! I don't want to feel…" she looked away for a moment. "I slept with Oliver and I got pregnant Ron…" She looked up at him. "How can we move on if that's what we have to hold on to?"

Ron was about to say something then stopped himself. He looked around, running his fingers through his hair. "So this is it? Either way, you're leaving, right? Why'd you even bother saying goodbye?" he asked.

"Because… I don't want it to end this way."

"THEN WHY BOTHER!"

Hermione backed up, her eyes wide with fright.

"Why bother trying to pretend?! It will never end the way you want. You'll go on, blaming yourself and I will have to suffer because you feel like wallowing in your own self pity!"

"I am _not_ pitying myself!" she screamed back.

"Then what are you doing, Hermione?"

"I KILLED MY MOTHER!"

A tortuous silence fell over them, surrounding them and suffocating them. Hermione's chest was heaving as she struggled to fight the urge to hit him. Ron just stared. Hermione's shoulders collapsed her body along with it. Ron lunged forward and caught her, holding her up. She looked up at him.

"I killed my mum… I killed my dad… I poisoned Harry… and I betrayed you…"

There was silence for a moment, and then Ron spoke. "That night you told me it was over… I should have never believed you…"

"Why did you?"

Ron looked down at her. "Because… I always believed you. Even when I would say you were wrong… I believed you."

"Do you believe me now?"

"No."

"Hypocrite."

"Liar."

"I don't want to fight."

"It's what we do."

"Why?"

"I don't know…"

"Can't we just… talk?"

"About what?"

"I don't know… anything but this…"

"Hermione-"

"Ron, please! Just for once… can we forget it ever happened… can we just… enjoy each other's company like we used to."

"You don't enjoy my company anymore?"

"I see my mother every time I see you, Ron."

"Gee, that makes me feel wonderful."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me, Hermione. I hate seeing you apologize. You sound so defeated."

"Now you're making me feel wonderful."

"You don't look good apologizing. It's always me apologizing."

"You've never apologized."

"Bear with me. I'm trying to create a mood."

"You're a prick."

"Well, at least we know something won't change," Ron whispered.

They just sat there on the ground for a while, Ron holding Hermione as she struggled to pull it all together again.

"I knew Leo was bad news," Ron muttered.

Hermione couldn't stop the soft laugh that escaped her lips. She shifted her position, snuggling closer to Ron.

"I remember that night," she whispered.

Ron looked down at her and she met his gaze, smiling. He pulled her to him and kissed her gently. He was about to pull away when she took his face and kept him there, wanting to feel something. He kissed her one more time before resting his head on hers, both just sitting there, watching the water. Hermione closed her eyes, missing his warmth.

"I would have said yes," she murmured.

"To what?"

"If you had asked me… I would have said yes…"

They sat there for a while then Hermione turned around again to look at him, biting her lower lip.

"Why… why do you still love me?"

Ron was silent for a while then he looked down at her. "Do you need a reason?"

Hermione looked at him for a moment then turned away. "No…"

"Do you really want to forget everything we had?"

Hermione looked down at her hands. "Leaving England is the only way Blaise can really help me… I'm leaving because staying would hurt too much. I don't want to forget all we went through. Just what I did…"

Ron pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione rested her head on his chest, fiddling with his shirt hem. "I love you too," she whispered.

* * *

"Hey… guys! Come and look at this," George called, standing by the backdoor window. Harry, Ginny, Fred, Percy, Charlie, Angelina, Alicia, Fleur, Bill and all the children came running over to see what George was looking at. He pointed to the lake and everyone froze. Hermione seemed to have collapsed into Ron's arms and now they were on the ground, whispering to each other. They sat there for a while then Hermione looked up at Ron and they both smiled. Then they kissed. Everyone gasped and leaned closer, trying to get a better look. Nothing else happened. They just kissed then just sat there, watching the water.

"You don't think-"

"No," Harry said, stopping all train of thought in that direction. "Hermione and Ron know what will happen if they try to do that," he whispered. They all traded looks before turning back to the peaceful sight by the window.

* * *

The family room was quiet that night as the entire Weasley family waited for Hermione to speak. They knew it wasn't good by the fact that Ron was the only one absent. Blaise had actually arrived but he was missing as well.

Hermione stood from her seat and took a deep breath. "I… Blaise and I have decided that it would be better for my health if I left England," she whispered.

Instantly everyone stood up, protesting angrily, several using some rather inappropriate choice words for Blaise. Hermione looked around, biting her lip as her eyes welled up.

"Please… just listen to me."

"You can't leave!" Harry exclaimed.

"It's the only way for me to stay out of the safety room!" Hermione said.

"Zabini could be tricking you!"

"STOP!" Hermione screamed. "Just listen to me!"

Everyone backed down, surprised by Hermione's sudden outburst. She looked around and then sat down herself.

"I'm leaving and there is nothing you can do about it," she whispered.

"Now, that's not fair, Hermione," Mr. Weasley said. "Don't we have a say in this? What about Ron?"

Hermione closed her eyes. "Ron already knows… please don't bring him into this," she murmured.

"You're just going to leave him?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Ron understands why I have to leave… I just want you to understand as well…"

Ron glanced up as Blaise sat down beside him.

"I'm guessing Granger already told you," he whispered.

"Her name is Hermione," Ron corrected.

Blaise watched Ron for a moment then looked out onto the lake. "I'll take care of her," he promised.

"You better, or I'll kill you," Ron muttered.

"Blaise."

The two turned around to see Hermione standing at the door.

"What?" Blaise answered.

Hermione glanced inside then back at him. "They want to speak to you," she whispered.

Blaise snorted. "Into the lion's den," he muttered, standing up and going over to Hermione. "You ok?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, giving him a small smile. Blaise nodded and went inside. Hermione's eyes drifted over to Ron where she stopped and bit her lip. Hermione then smiled slightly and Ron returned the gesture before turning back to the lake. Hermione swore she saw a tear run down his face before she went back into the house.

**A/N: The next chapter will be the last. This one is actually the last one at this age. Here are the review responses. In the next chapter Reviews from all my readers will be welcome!**

**Dani:** Personally, I don't think Ron will ever stop fighting for her, even when he knows its a hopeless cause. He's just great that way.

**didi52:** I'm not just going to update. I'm going to finish!

**charma10:** Well, if there's one thing I do great, it's getting into people's heads.

**GTKari-123:** I love to make you writhe in agony waiting for the end.

**Punker88:** I'll give Ron a hug for you.

**sballLuvr5:** Thank you so much!

**connieewing:** I'm glad you like it!

**A Grande sized thank you to everyone who reviewed and read! I'm glad you liked it! I have another story that's already been started and I hope you like it.**

**NO CHAPTER TEASE!!!!**


	13. Vindicated

**Vindicated by Dashboard Confessional**

_Hope dangles on a string  
Like slow spinning redemption  
Winding in and winding out  
The shine of it has caught my eye_  
_And roped me in  
So, mesmerizing and so hypnotizing,  
I am captivated, I am…_

Hermione thanked the older woman and watched as the door closed before turning to look at herself in the mirror. The white robes that graced her body fit perfectly, accenting every aspect of her.

"You look nice."

Hermione smiled at the familiar voice and turned around.

"Six years later and all you can say is that I look nice?" she asked teasingly, watching as Blaise entered the room.

"I'd say you look beautiful, but you're getting married and I wouldn't want to start anything right here and now," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, turning back to the mirror. "You think too highly of yourself," she told him.

"Me? No… I just came up to congratulate you on getting married."

"You're not staying?" Hermione asked, surprised.

Blaise shook his head. "I've got someone else's life to deal with," he answered._  
_

Hermione turned around and smiled. "You're still doing this?"

Blaise snorted. "I've got nothing better to do. Obviously, I'm not going back to England, but I thing there are other parts of the world that could use my genius," he whispered.

Hermione pouted slightly. "I've told Zack so much about you. He's really looking forward to meeting you, Blaise," she whispered.

Blaise smirked, walking over to the dresser and fiddling around with some of the make up. "Ah, Zack… the infamous Zack. Intelligent, funny, makes big money, big family… Hell! If I was gay and he didn't sound so revoltingly like Weasley now, I'd marry him," he ended gracefully, setting down what he had in his hands.

Hermione bit her lip, going over to the man. "Blaise…" she scolded softly.

"And if Blaise wasn't such an ass I'd actually consider him to be hospitable."

Hermione and Blaise turned to see Ronald Weasley leaning against the door. Her whole face went completely red. Blaise pulled a grin, waving.

"So! As well as being a Quiddich player, Weasley cracks jokes on the side," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ron rolled his eyes, entering the room then coming to a halt right beside Hermione.

"You don't mind if I talk to her… _alone_," he added when Blaise didn't move.

Blaise held up his hands. "Nope, don't mind at all. I was just going to leave anyway. Just don't stay long. I'm disapparating and if they thing two men are up here with the bride, word might get around that she's sleeping with the darker one," he warned before walking out the door.

Hermione rolled her eyes smiling before she turned to Ron. Her face fell slightly, her eyes lowered.

"It's been a while," she whispered.

"And you still look beautiful," he whispered.

Hermione looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. "Don't do this… not now…"

Ron reached out for her but she drew away. "Then why did you invite me?" he asked.

Hermione looked away. "Because… I don't have any _real_ family and… I wanted to see you…" she finished.

Ron observed her for a moment, his whole being aching to be closer to her. To hold her. Stepping closer, he reached up and caressed her face. This time she didn't pull away, but allowed him to touch her. "Hermione…" he trailed off then sighed. "There's nothing I can do to stop this is there?"

Hermione shook her head, looking away. "There was nothing you could do to stop me from leaving… We all have that moment when we have to make _that_ choice… that choice that will determine everything…" She looked up at him. "I made that choice seven years ago… so did you when you let me walk out of that room…"

With that, she turned to leave, putting a hand on his shoulder before going for the exit. Ron closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the agony his heart was yet again going through.

_This time would be different._

Turning around, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, their lips meeting heatedly. Hermione gasped into his mouth then leaned closer, desperate for this final moment. Ron reached up to caress her cheek as the tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did. They both knew that this was it. This was their last chance to express what was to remain unspoken. Hermione could feel his hands trembling and couldn't help but pull away. She couldn't do this to him. To herself.

Ron watched her struggle with her feelings then ran his hands through his hair.

"Why did you ask me to come?" he asked.

Hermione looked up at him, her chocolate eyes meeting his clouded blue. "Vindication…"

"For what?"

She pointed to the picture on the vanity. It was of them. "That it won't change… that it will never change…"

Ron walked over to her, taking her face in his hands, pulling her lips back to his. "Never," he whispered into her mouth.

Hermione clung to his shirt, holding on to one last memory of what had run out but was never to be forgotten.

"Hermione… oh!"

The two pulled away to see another woman, a friend of Hermione's, standing there. The lady's eyes traveled to Ron then to Hermione. Hermione moved away from Ron, her eyes on the ground.

"I'll be down in a minute," she whispered.

The lady nodded then left quietly. Ron sighed and moved passed her.

"Tell everyone I said hi," he whispered.

Hermione turned. "You're leaving?"

Ron stopped at the door but didn't turn around. "Knowing that you're getting married is hard enough… I don't actually want to see it happen." He turned slightly to face her. "I love you," he whispered.

Hermione's heart sank in that moment and she looked away. "Bye Ron," she said, her voice shaking. Ron nodded and left, leaving her. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. She turned.

"Ron!" she called urgently.

Coming back into view, Ron stopped. "What?"

Hermione bit her lip then pointed to the spot in front of her. "You promised me that one day you would propose…" she murmured.

Ron shook his head, backing up. "Hermione-"

"Ron please… for both of us," she pleaded.

Ron looked at her through tragic eyes and nodded, coming over and kneeling down in front of her. Hermione took off her ring and handed it to him. Taking a deep breath, he looked up at her.

"Hermione Jane Granger… will you marry me?" he asked.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears again and she nodded. Ron slipped the ring back on her finger and stood. Hermione looked up at him and leaned in, kissing him softly. They both stood there for a moment, savoring the time.

Seven years ago, they never would have known… they would have never guessed… That the time they had spent wasting would have been spent so suddenly that there was nothing left. Just the painful memories of brokenness…

Ron finally pulled away and looked down at her. He then pulled her to him, letting her rest her head on his chest.

"I was always so afraid to tell you how I felt," he whispered.

"Why?"

He reached up and lifted her chin with his finger, forcing her to look at him. "It is a fearful thing to love what death can touch…"

Hermione reached up and touched his face. "Six years later and now you finally start making sense…"

Ron stared at her for a moment then turned away leaving Hermione with the memories of long ago. Memories she would always see in her dreams…

"Ron," she called out one last time.

He turned. "What?"

She looked down at the ring she had on then up at him.

"I love you…"

_Vindicated!  
I am selfish!  
I am wrong!  
I am right!  
I swear I'm right!  
Swear I knew it all along!  
And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well!  
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself…  
_

_**The End**_


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